* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM [00:00:01] IS SPONSORED BY ILRU SOUTHWEST, A DA CENTER PROMOTING COMPLIANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT. WELCOME TO FOCUS ON ABILITIES, A PROGRAM ABOUT ISSUES AFFECTING THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. I'M LEX FRIEDEN. I'LL BE YOUR HOST FOR TODAY'S PROGRAM. I'M PROFESSOR OF BIOMEDICAL INFORMATICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT HOUSTON, AND I DIRECT THE ILRU PROGRAM AT TIER MEMORIAL HERMANN. AND TODAY WE HAVE AN INTERESTING GUEST WHOM I'LL INTRODUCE AFTER WE TAKE A BREAK. BUT BEFORE WE TAKE THE BREAK, I'M GONNA ASK YOU A QUESTION WE'LL ANSWER BEFORE THE END OF THE DAY'S PROGRAM. AND THE QUESTION IS, ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE CANCER SURVIVORS PROTECTED BY THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT? WE'LL GET TO THAT LATER IN THE PROGRAM RIGHT NOW. WE'RE GONNA TAKE A BREAK. PLEASE STAY TUNED TO FOCUS ON ABILITIES. HI, THIS IS FOCUS ON ABILITIES. I'M LEX FRIEDEN. WE'RE HERE TODAY WITH LEAH CHANG. LEAH, UM, WELCOME TO FOCUS ON ABILITIES. I'M REALLY HAPPY TO BE HERE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. LEAH. YOU, UH, YOU JOINED OUR INTERNSHIP PROGRAM AT ILRU THIS SUMMER, AND YOUR SPONSOR WAS THE CANCER PREVENTION RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF TEXAS. SO HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THAT, UH, THAT FELLOWSHIP? YEAH, SO I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN PUBLIC HEALTH AND LOOKING INTO INTERNS FOR THIS SUMMER. UM, I WAS TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING KIND OF CLOSE TO HOME AND IT JUST KIND OF POPPED UP IN MY GOOGLE SEARCH TO BE HONEST. AND I JUST FOUND IT REALLY INTERESTING, UM, THAT IT WAS THIS SMALL COHORT OF INTERNS AND WERE LOOKING SPECIFICALLY INTO CANCER PREVENTION. SO, UM, I THINK DEFINITELY ONCE I WENT THROUGH THE APPLICATION PROCESS AND I LEARNED ABOUT YOUR PROJECT PROFILE, I WAS LIKE, YEAH, THIS IS DEFINITELY WHAT I WANNA DO THIS SUMMER. SO YOU WERE, UH, YOU ARE A STUDENT AT BROWN UNIVERSITY. YES. AND YET YOU SAID CLOSE TO HOME. YES. SO HOW, HOW DID, HOW, HOW DID THOSE TWO FIT TOGETHER? YEAH, SO, UM, I GREW UP IN HOUSTON OR IN KATY ACTUALLY. UM, AND I GO TO SCHOOL IN BROWN, WHICH IS IN RHODE ISLAND. SO IT'S PRETTY FAR AWAY. IT'S VERY DIFFERENT ATMOSPHERE, LIKE THE PRETTY LARGE STATES ARE VERY SMALL STATES, SO A LOT OF DIFFERENCES THERE. UM, EVEN THOUGH I GO TO SCHOOL IN RHODE ISLAND, I WOULD STILL CONSIDER HOUSTON TO BE MORE OF MY HOME, GIVEN THAT I STAYED HERE FOR 17 YEARS AS OPPOSED TO OVER THERE. UM, BUT I, I THINK HAVING THAT LIKE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT, UM, HAS KIND OF OPENED MY WORLDVIEW IN A WAY. KIND OF SEEING SOMETHING BEYOND TEXAS. I THINK I GREW UP IN A VERY, LIKE, PRETTY DIVERSE, UM, AREA. NOT TO SAY THAT RHODE ISLAND ISN'T DIVERSE, BUT I, I THINK SEEING HOW THINGS ARE DIFFERENT IN NEW ENGLAND, UM, HAS DEFINITELY HELPED LIKE INFORMED HOW I VIEW LIKE PUBLIC HEALTH. LIKE THAT WAS SOMETHING A SPECIFIC FIELD I'D NEVER EVEN HEARD OF UNTIL I GOT TO COLLEGE. SO I THINK THAT WAS DEFINITELY A HUGE PART OF SOMETHING I'VE LEARNED GOING TO SCHOOL IN A VERY DIFFERENT PLACE THAN IN TEXAS. SO BROWN IS A RELATIVELY SMALL YES. CAMPUS, RIGHT? YES. HOW MANY STUDENTS? UM, PER CLASS IT'S ABOUT 1600. SO PROBABLY ALL UNDERCLASSMEN, A LITTLE OVER 6,000 STUDENTS. SO PRETTY SMALL. YEAH. AND, UH, YOU, THEY FOUND YOU AND RECRUITED YOU, OR DID YOU FIND THEM? NO, I, I APPLIED, UM, EARLY DECISION TO BROWN AND THEN I GOT IN, SO I COMMITTED TO BROWN PRETTY EARLY IN MY SENIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL. UM, I WAS JUST REALLY DRAWN TO THE ATMOSPHERE AND THE LIKE, KIND OF LIBERAL LEARNING MINDSET. THEY HAD KIND OF, UM, THEY HAVE SOMETHING CALLED AN OPEN CURRICULUM WHERE YOU KIND OF TAKE WHATEVER COURSES AND WHATEVER, UM, FIELD OR INTEREST THAT YOU HAVE. THERE'S NO LIKE CORE REQUIREMENTS. LIKE YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE A SOCIAL STUDIES CLASS AGAIN, YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE AN ENGLISH LITERATURE CLASS. LIKE YOU JUST TAKE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO TAKE. AND I THINK THAT REALLY APPEALED TO ME. YEAH. I CAN SEE WHY. UH, IN OTHER WORDS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO CARRY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE CLASSES THAT YOU'RE NOT INTERESTED IN. EXACTLY. YES. THAT IS VERY COOL. YES. AND YOU CAN EXPLORE A LITTLE BIT MM-HMM . AND SEE WHAT OTHER AREAS BESIDE THE ONE THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT FIRST HAVE INTEREST TO YOU. YEAH, EXACTLY. SO YOU'RE NOW A JUNIOR. YES. AND NEXT YEAR HAVE YOUR SCHEDULE ALL SET? YEAH, PRETTY MUCH. WHAT ARE YOU FOCUSING ON? UM, SO I DECLARED LAST SEMESTER MY CONCENTRATIONS OR MY MAJORS AND I, UM, I DECIDED TO GO WITH PUBLIC HEALTH [00:05:01] AND APPLIED MATHEMATICS ON A BIOLOGY TRACK. AND THEY SEEM KIND OF DIFFERENT, BUT I, I CAME IN WANTING TO DO LIKE NEUROSCIENCE AND LIKE, I WASN'T REALLY SURE, BUT I WAS LIKE, I, I LIKE SCIENCE. LIKE THAT'S FUN. BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN I TOOK MY FIRST PUBLIC HEALTH CLASS, I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. I WAS LIKE, OOH, LIKE WHAT IS THIS? IS THIS LIKE LAW OR THIS IS HEALTHCARE? LIKE WHAT IS IT? AND I THINK THAT UPON TAKING THAT FIRST CLASS, MY FIRST SEMESTER, I WAS REALLY LIKE INTERESTED IN LIKE WHAT THEY HAD TO OFFER. UM, AND AT BROWN THEY HAVE LIKE THE BROWN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, WHICH IS PRETTY RE RENOWNED AS WELL. SO I THINK GETTING TO TAKE COURSES AND WORK WITH PROFESSORS FROM THAT SCHOOL AS WELL, UM, WAS DEFINITELY ANOTHER THING THAT WANTED, YEAH, I, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LESSON THERE. I MEAN, I, WHEN I STARTED SCHOOL A LONG TIME AGO, I'LL ADMIT IT, BUT THE, THE PROGRAM THAT I WAS INTERESTED IN WAS, UH, ENGINEERING. AND AFTER I STARTED TAKING THESE CLASSES, I DISCOVERED THAT MANY OF THE COURSES IN ENGINEERING WEREN'T WHAT I EXPECTED THEM TO BE. MM-HMM . AND I ACCIDENTALLY POPPED INTO A PSYCHOLOGY CLASS AND I FOUND OUT, AND THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING, STIMULATING, AND UH, AND I SORT OF DIVERTED, BUT IT WAS ALMOST TOO LATE BECAUSE I HAD ALREADY SUFFERED THROUGH SOME OF THOSE CLASSES THAT I THOUGHT, I, I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS THE REST OF MY LIFE. AND, UH, AND WHEN I GOT INTO PSYCHOLOGY, I SAW MANY MORE DIFFERENT OPTIONS. AND THAT WAS, I SAID, I THINK SCHOOLS THAT ENABLE YOU TO DO THAT ARE REALLY COOL. UM, AND YOU'RE AT BROWN, YOU APPLIED FOR THE CPR PROGRAM? IT WAS CLOSE TO HOME. SO YOU COULD SPEND THE SUMMER AT HOME MM-HMM . ENGAGED IN IN OUR INTERNSHIP PROGRAM. YES. WHAT, WHAT, EXPLAIN WHAT CPR IS. CPR, UM, SO AS YOU SAID, AS A CANCER PREVENTION RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF TEXAS, UM, AND SO THEY BASICALLY, THEY HAVE A GRANT THAT THEY GIVE TO UT HEALTH. AND SO THERE'S LIKE TWO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. THERE'S ONE AT THE SCHOOL OF BIOINFORMATICS AND THEN ONE AT SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. AND SO I WAS IN THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM. AND SO I THINK, UM, BOTH OF THEM FOCUS ON CANCER PREVENTION STRATEGIES AND KIND OF LOOKING AT PRIMARY, SECONDARY, TERTIARY, UM, INTERVENTION METHODS, UM, DEPENDING ON LIKE WHO YOUR MENTOR IS. BUT I THINK THE PUBLIC HEALTH ONE SPECIFICALLY LOOKS AT LIKE, UM, MORE LIKE COMMUNITY BASED LIKE OUTREACH STUFF, WHEREAS THE OTHER PROGRAM FOCUSED MORE ON LIKE THE DATA SCIENCE, LIKE THE BEHIND THE SCENES ASPECTS. SO I THINK, UM, MY PROGRAM WAS A REALLY NICE COHORT OF KIDS KIND OF FROM ALL OVER AS WELL. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, GETTING TO HEAR ABOUT THEIR PROJECTS AND KIND OF TALKING WITH THEM ABOUT MINE AND HOW OURS MIGHT BE SIMILAR OR DIFFERENT, IT REALLY WAS KIND OF EYE-OPENING, LOOKING TO CANCER PREVENTION. 'CAUSE THAT WAS NOT REALLY A FIELD I'D EVEN LIKE, REALLY CONSIDERED MYSELF BEING INTERESTED BEFOREHAND. SO I THINK THAT THE, BEING A PART OF THAT PROGRAM HAS REALLY KIND OF INCREASED MY INTEREST IN THAT. SO HOW MANY STUDENTS WERE IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH? OH, I THINK IN MY COHORT THERE WERE 14 INTERNS. 14? YES. AND YOU ALL MET ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK EACH WEEK? YES. WE MET ANYWHERE FROM TWO TO THREE TIMES PER WEEK FOR ABOUT LIKE TWO HOURS AND A HALF. AND THE REST OF THE TIME YOU SPENT AT THE ILRU PROGRAM WITH OTHER INTERNS MM-HMM . WORKING ON DISABILITY RIGHTS AND LAW YES. AND, UH, RESEARCH PERTAINING TO THAT. YES. PARADIGM. YES. THE PROJECT THAT YOU DID, EXPLAIN THAT. YEAH. SO MY PROJECT WAS ON, UM, DISABILITY IDENTIFICATION AMONG YOUNG CANCER SURVIVORS. AND SO COMING IN I WAS TRYING TO, UM, FIND A WAY TO CONNECT, UM, THE PROGRAM THAT I WAS IN SECRET, BUT THEN ALSO MY WORK THAT I WAS DOING AT IRRU, LIKE DISABILITY LEGAL ACCOMMODATIONS, KIND OF WRAPPING THAT ALL TOGETHER. SO THAT'S KIND OF HOW I CAME UP WITH MY TOPIC WAS, WHICH WAS DEFINITELY MORE NICHE COMPARED TO MY OTHER PEOPLE IN MY COHORTS. DEFINITELY. SO I THINK THAT WAS DEFINITELY A PRETTY SPECIAL EXPERIENCE. BUT, UM, MY PROJECT FOCUSED A LOT ON TRYING TO LIKE ASSESS WHETHER YOUNG CANCER SURVIVORS SPECIFICALLY, SO, YOU KNOW, 18 TO 30 YEARS OLD, UM, ARE AWARE THAT THE A DA ACTUALLY PERTAINS TO THEM BECAUSE ACTUALLY I CAME IN AND I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT THE A DA PERTAINED TO YOUNG CANCER SURVIVORS. SO IF I, I WAS LIKE, WELL, IF IT'S JUST LIKE NOT COMMON KNOWLEDGE, LIKE I DON'T REALLY THINK THAT, MAYBE THEY DON'T KNOW, LIKE MAYBE THERE'S THIS LACK IN OF INFORMATION AND THERE'S LACK OF SUPPORT AFTER THEY'RE DONE WITH THEIR CANCER TREATMENT. SO I THINK THAT KIND OF GAUGED MY INTEREST. SO I DID A VERY CONSTRUCTIVE LITERATURE REVIEW LOOKING INTO THAT. AND I NOW HAVE A SURVEY THAT I'M GOING TO DISSEMINATE, UM, HOPEFULLY IN RHODE ISLAND, UM, THEIR HOSPITAL SYSTEM AND THEN ALSO PROBABLY HERE AS WELL, UM, WITH, UM, WITHIN THE TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER. WANT TO TALK MORE ABOUT THAT? UH, BUT WE'RE GONNA TAKE A BREAK NOW. UH, WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK HERE WATCHING FOCUS ON ABILITIES. [00:10:14] ST. ARNOLD TEXAS'S OLDEST CRAFT BREWERY SHIPPED THEIR FIRST KEG OF BEER IN 1994. HOUSTON FIRST CORPORATION INTRODUCES LYNN WYATT SQUARE IN THE HOUSTON THEATER DISTRICT WITH OAK TREES, WATER FEATURES AND PROGRAMMING. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC LYNN WYATT SQUARE.COM. GREASE AND WIPES CLOG PIPES. IN FACT, CLOGS FROM THESE ITEMS ARE THE MAIN CAUSE OF SEWER OVERFLOWS IN HOUSTON. LEARN MORE@PROTECTOURPIPES.ORG. AT METRO, YOUR SAFETY IS JOB ONE EVERY DAY. AND WE'RE COMMITTED TO MAKING YOUR RIDE EVEN SAFER WITH SECURITY CAMERAS ON OUR TRANSIT VEHICLES AND LIVE MONITORS ON MANY OF OUR BUSES. BLUE LIGHT CALL BOXES AT OUR BUS AND RAIL FACILITIES. METRO POLICE PROVIDING PEACE OF MIND AND MPD CONNECT THE APP THAT LETS YOU REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY INSTANTLY TO METRO POLICE. METRO IS BUILDING A SAFER TRANSIT SYSTEM SO YOU CAN DRIVE LESS AND DO MORE. WELCOME BACK TO FOCUS ON ABILITIES. UH, WE HAVE, UH, LEAH CHANG ON THE PROGRAM WITH US TODAY. AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, UH, INTERNSHIP, LEAH, THAT YOU DID, UH, THIS SUMMER YOU WORKED WITH A POPULATION OR STUDY THE POPULATION OF CANCER SURVIVORS WHO WERE YOUR AGE, SOME OLDER, SOME YOUNGER, BUT YOUNG CANCER SURVIVORS. MM-HMM . AND, UH, WHAT YOU FOUND, AS YOU SAID, WAS THAT MANY OF THEM DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE THAT THEIR RIGHTS WERE PROTECTED BY A DA MM-HMM . WHEN DO YOU THINK, IF EVER, THAT IT OCCURS TO THEM? YOU KNOW, HONESTLY, I DON'T THINK IT TRULY OCCURS TO THEM IF THEY WERE NEVER INFORMED OF IT. A PART OF MY RESEARCH I DISCOVERED THAT THERE TENDS TO BE LIKE THIS LACK OF COMMUNICATION, UM, EITHER FROM NOT BEING AWARE, FROM LIKE THE PHYSICIAN PERSPECTIVE. SO THEY ARE NOT FULLY TRAINED ON HOW TO INFORM, ESPECIALLY THESE YOUNGER PATIENTS AND THEIR PARENTS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, FURTHER ACCOMMODATIONS THAT WILL HAPPEN THAT ARE NOT HEALTH RELATED SPECIFICALLY. AND SO I THINK BECAUSE THERE'S THIS LACK OF FOCUS ON, UM, GETTING THIS INFORMATION TO THESE YOUNGER CHILDREN, LIKE FROM THE START, UM, THEY GO BACK INTO BACK TO SCHOOL OR THEY GO ENTER THE WORKPLACE AND THEY JUST, THEY DON'T KNOW THAT ANY OF THESE, LIKE A DA ACCOMMODATIONS EVEN APPLY TO THEM. THEY'RE LIKE, 'CAUSE THEY WERE NEVER INFORMED. SO I THINK UNLESS IT, THEY'VE, THEY'VE, THEY GO THROUGH A LOT OF LIKE DIFFICULTIES WHILE THEY'RE IN THE WORKFORCE. IT DOESN'T REALLY PROBABLY DAWN ON THEM UNTIL MUCH LATER ON THAT THEY ARE, THERE ARE THESE ACCOMMODATIONS THAT CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, WELL, I MEAN THERE ARE A COUPLE OF ISSUES THERE. FIRST OF ALL, UH, THE ONCOLOGISTS WHO ARE THEIR PRIMARY TREATMENT MM-HMM . PHYSICIANS ARE TRAINED TO ATTACK THAT CANCER AND ERADICATE IT, RIGHT? YES. SO, UH, WHEN THEY'VE FINISHED THEIR WORK MM-HMM . THEY DISCHARGE THE PATIENTS. YES. AND VERY SELDOM IN OUR, UH, RESEARCH DO CANCER PROGRAMS, EVEN THE MOST ELITE ONES. MM-HMM . HELP PATIENTS UNDERSTAND THAT THE AFTER EFFECTS OF THEIR TREATMENT VERY OFTEN, UH, WILL CAUSE THEM TO HAVE, UH, PERIODS WHERE THEY ARE SHORT OF STAMINA. MM-HMM . UM, AND OTHER THINGS. I MEAN THAT THE, THE, A LOT OF AFTER EFFECTS OF CANCER TREATMENT YES. UH, AND THAT CAUSES DISABILITY. AND WHEN PEOPLE GO BACK TO WORK [00:15:01] AND THEIR STAMINA IS TESTED, MAYBE THEY HAVE TO TAKE A BREAK. MM-HMM . MAYBE THEY HAVE TO LAY DOWN, MAYBE THEY HAVE TO WORK PART-TIME. THEY JUST TAKE THAT AS A REALITY WITHOUT REALIZING THAT THAT IS A DISABILITY AND THEY'RE PROTECTED SO THAT THEIR EMPLOYER CAN'T FIRE THEM IF THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO BE IN THE OFFICE ALL DAY EVERY DAY. YEAH. UH, A LOT OF, A LOT OF IMPLICATIONS OF THAT MM-HMM . AND YET THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE, UH, REVEALING THAT THEY HAVE A DISABILITY BECAUSE THEY PROBABLY ARE WORRIED ABOUT OTHER KINDS OF, UH, STIGMA AND AFTER EFFECTS. RIGHT. YEAH, DEFINITELY. I DEFINITELY SAW THAT. UM, WHEN LOOKING INTO LIKE WHEN, UM, THESE INDIVID CANCER SURVIVORS ARE WANTING OR DECIDING TO DISCLOSE THEIR CANCER HISTORY AND THEIR DIAGNOSIS AND THEIR WHOLE TREATMENT PAST, THEY'RE PRETTY RELUCTANT TO DO SO IN PROFESSIONAL SETTINGS JUST BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANNA BE TREATED ANY DIFFERENTLY OR, YOU KNOW, HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH GETTING, UM, LIKE PROMOTIONS OR GETTING THEIR RETIREMENT FUNDS. LIKE THINGS LIKE THAT. LIKE YOU DON'T HAVE TO ENCOUNTER THESE EXTRA OBSTACLES JUST BECAUSE THEY DISCLOSE THAT INFORMATION. YEAH. IT'S KIND OF A CALAMITY. YES. IN A WAY. I MEAN, ON THE ONE HAND, THEY'RE TRYING TO PROTECT THEMSELVES MM-HMM . BY NOT IDENTIFYING MM-HMM . BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, THEY ARE PUTTING THEMSELVES AT RISK BY NOT IDENTIFYING YES. AND THE PROTECTIONS THAT THEY WOULD HAVE PROBABLY WON'T HAVE AN IMPACT UNLESS THEY DO CHOOSE TO SELF-IDENTIFY. UH, WE FIND THAT AMONG OTHER GROUPS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES WHOSE DISABILITIES ARE EFFECTIVELY HIDDEN. MM-HMM . AND, UH, SO YOUR RESEARCH, YOU DID A LOT OF BACKGROUND RESEARCH YES. READ A LOT OF ARTICLES. YES. HOW MANY? UM, SO I STARTED MY SEARCH AND I FOUND ABOUT 876 ARTICLES AND THEN I KIND OF NARROWED IT DOWN, UM, FROM THERE TO ABOUT 80 OR SO ARTICLES THAT I FULLY READ. UM, THAT TOOK A WHILE, BUT I THINK IT WAS PRETTY INFORMATIVE. YEAH. DID YOU SLEEP ? UM, YEAH, I DID SLEEP. YEAH. IT WAS JUST A VERY DRAWN OUT PROCESS, BUT YEAH. AND WHAT, CAN YOU SUMMARIZE THE FINDINGS? YEAH. UM, SO I BASICALLY DISCOVERED TWO MAIN THEMES. ONE BEING THAT THERE IS THIS OVERALL LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OR EVEN AWARENESS OF THE A DA AMONG LIKE THE GENERAL PUBLIC, UM, LET ALONE LIKE YOUNG CANCER SURVIVORS AND THEIR PHYSICIANS. UM, AND WITH THAT THERE'S ALSO LIKE THIS LIKE LACK OF SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR, UM, THESE SURVIVORS AFTER THE FACT. SO I THINK THAT WAS ONE OF THE MAIN FINDINGS, ONE OF MY FIRST MAIN FINDINGS. AND MY SECOND ONE WAS, UM, JUST KIND OF LOOKING INTO BARRIERS TO DISCLOSING THEIR CANCER PATH BECAUSE I SAW THAT AS BEING PRETTY SYNONYMOUS OR LIKE IN LINE WITH IF THEY WERE GONNA BE WILLING TO IDENTIFY THEIR CANCER AS BEING A DISABILITY. UM, SO I USED THAT TO KIND OF GAUGE, UM, MY TOPIC OF DISABILITY IDENTIFICATION. AND, UM, I NOTICED THAT THEY WERE CANCER SURVIVORS WERE DEBATING WHETHER OR NOT TO DISCLOSE THEIR HISTORY BASED ON HOW THEY ANTICIPATED THE OTHER PERSON WOULD RESPOND AS OPPOSED TO HOW THEY WOULD FEEL. SO THEY WERE TRYING TO PROTECT, LIKE THE COMFORT OF THE PERSON THEY WERE TALKING TO AS OPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW, DOING WHAT FELT RIGHT FOR THEM. SO I THINK LOOKING AT THOSE LIKE PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS WAS SOMETHING I DIDN'T REALLY CONSIDER. I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS ALL LIKE, SOLELY LIKE HEALTH RELATED. LIKE THEY JUST DON'T WANNA DISCLOSE LIKE THEIR HEALTH CONDITION. BUT I REALIZED THAT REALLY THERE'S A LOT OF FURTHER FACTORS, PSYCHOSOCIAL THINGS THAT HAVE JUST REALLY UNDERLOOKED IN GENERAL. UM, ALSO HAVING TO DO WITH THE STIGMA YOU, UM, MENTIONED EARLIER. BUT I THINK THOSE ARE MY TWO MAIN FINDINGS IN THAT KIND OF FUELED, UM, WHAT I DECIDED TO INCLUDE IN MY SURVEY, UM, AS A RESULT. SO YOU, UM, IF, IF YOU WERE GOING TO ADVISE, UH, CANCER PROGRAMS MM-HMM . TREATMENT PROGRAMS MM-HMM . HOW TO HELP KIDS, YOUNG CANCER SURVIVORS, OR FOR THAT MATTER, ANY CANCER SURVIVOR, UM, COPE WITH THE ISSUES THEY MIGHT FACE AFTER TREATMENT MM-HMM . UH, WHAT, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THE PROGRAMS? WHAT WOULD YOU ADVISE THEM? SO, ONE OF MY INITIAL PLANS, UM, OR LIKE INTENTIONS THAT I HAD GOING INTO THIS OR AFTER I FOUND WHAT I FOUND, UM, I THINK I WAS THINKING, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IN EARLY TRAINING, LIKE MEDICAL SCHOOL, EVEN RESIDENCY FOR THESE YOUNGER DOCTORS, UM, PERHAPS THEY COULD PUT IN LIKE THIS QUICK MODULE ABOUT, UM, A DA RIGHTS, LEGAL ACCOMMODATIONS THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO CANCER PATIENTS DOWN THE ROAD. UM, JUST BECAUSE I KNOW THERE ARE SOME LIKE MODULES THEY PUT IN ABOUT LIKE HANDLING HEALTH INSURANCE AND THINGS LIKE THAT AND THAT'S NOT TOTALLY LIKE SCIENTIFICALLY HEALTH RELATED AND THEY JUST PUT THAT IN JUST SO DOCTORS ARE INFORMED ON HOW TO HANDLE THOSE MATTERS. THAT'S INTERESTING. SO I KIND OF THOUGHT LIKE MAYBE IF YOU PUT IN SOME KIND OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, LIKE THEN DOWN THE LINE THAT CAN ACTUALLY HELP MORE CANCER PATIENTS. JUST YEAH, THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. [00:20:01] I MEAN, IF THE, IF THE DOCTORS WHO ARE IN CHARGE OF THE PROGRAM MM-HMM . ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE PROBLEM, THEN THEY'RE GONNA SEE THAT IT'S ADDRESSED. EXACTLY. UH, WE'RE GONNA TAKE A BREAK NOW. WE'LL BE BACK WITH FOCUS ON ABILITIES IN JUST A MINUTE. PLEASE STAY TUNED. YOU COULD EAT EVERY NIGHT OF THE WEEK IN HOUSTON AND ONLY SCRATCH THE SURFACE OF ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CUISINES THAT WE HAVE HERE. THERE'S SO MUCH TO EXPLORE. THE BEST WAY TO TAKE IT IS ITS NEIGHBORHOOD AT A TIME. EACH NEIGHBORHOOD HAS ITS OWN SPECIALTY AND THERE'S JUST SO MUCH TO LEARN. IT'S ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT FOOD IS THAT YOU CAN NEVER LEARN AT ALL. SHAKE UP YOUR EVERYDAY AND COME EXPLORE DOWNTOWN. FROM NEW ART INSTALLATIONS TO FAMILY FUN SWEAT SESSIONS AND MOVIE NIGHTS, WE'RE KEEPING HOUSTON INSPIRED AND ENTERTAINED. JOIN US. WE ARE DOWNTOWN HOUSTON 3 1 1. NOW AVAILABLE AS A MOBILE APP. TAKE A PHOTO, ENTER YOUR LOCATION REPORT AN ISSUE, THE QUICK AND EASY WAY TO REPORT NON-EMERGENCY ISSUES OR REQUEST CITY SERVICE INFORMATION. DOWNLOAD TODAY ON THE APP STORE OR GOOGLE PLAY. SAM HOUSTON PARK IS PICTURESQUE WITH WADDLING DUCKS AND NINE FROZEN IN TIME HISTORIC BUILDINGS. DOWNTOWN IS AN ART LOVER'S DREAM WITH MORE THAN 65 PIECES OF PUBLIC ART. HI THERE. WE'RE BACK. AND WE'RE WITH LEAH CHANG. UH, LEAH, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT CANCER SURVIVORS, UM, AND YOUNG CANCER SURVIVORS IN PARTICULAR. AND WE KNOW THAT THEY VERY OFTEN AREN'T GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT THEIR RIGHTS AS PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. MM-HMM . MAYBE THAT THEY ARE THINKING SINCE THEY'VE BEEN TREATED AND DISCHARGED. MM-HMM . THAT THEY DON'T HAVE A DISABILITY. BUT WE KNOW THAT CANCER SURVIVORS WILL ULTIMATELY MOSTLY HAVE DISABILITIES JUST AS THE AFTER EFFECTS OR THE SIDE EFFECTS OR THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF EITHER THE CANCER OR THE TREATMENT FOR THE CANCER. AND THE DOCTORS WHO TREAT THEM ARE FOCUSED ON THAT CANCER. YOUR SUGGESTION I THINK IS A WELLMADE SUGGESTION THAT DOCTORS BE EDUCATED ABOUT THE RIGHTS OF THEIR PATIENTS AFTER THEY'RE DISCHARGED WHEN THEY DO HAVE DISABILITIES. BUT ARE THERE OTHER THINGS WE CAN DO? IN OTHER WORDS, DO THE, DO THE PEOPLE WHO GRADUATE FROM THE TREATMENT PROGRAMS IS THERE, ARE THERE GROUPS OF SURVIVORS WHO YEAH, SO THERE DEFINITELY ARE CANCER SURVIVORSHIP GROUPS, UM, LIKE SUPPORT GROUPS I KNOW, UM, ACROSS, ACROSS THE NATION. UM, AND I'M SURE THEY DEFINITELY DO A GOOD JOB OF PROVIDING THE SUPPORT FOR THESE CANCER SURVIVORS, BUT I THINK IT'S MORE OF AN EMOTIONAL SUPPORT. UM, THERE'S PROBABLY, I DON'T, I FEEL LIKE THERE'S NOT AS MUCH OF A FOCUS ON, YOU KNOW, IN THOSE SESSIONS BEING LIKE, DO YOU KNOW ABOUT YOUR LEGAL AWARENESS? LIKE I FEEL LIKE IT, THEY TAKE A MORE SUBTLE APPROACH TO ENSURE THAT THESE CANCER SURVIVORS FEEL JUST GENERALLY SUPPORTED IN LIKE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENTS. SO I THINK, UM, PART OF THE REASON I WANTED TO DO A SURVEY IS JUST KIND OF SEE LIKE, ARE THESE SUPPORT SYSTEMS? ARE THEY HELPFUL? LIKE WHAT DO THEY HELP WITH MORE LIKE THE EMOTIONAL SIDE OR DO THEY HELP MORE WITH LIKE REENTERING SOCIETY IN THE WORKFORCE, GETTING BACK INTO HIGHER EDUCATION? LIKE WHAT EXACTLY ARE THOSE BENEFITS FROM BEING IN THE SUPPORT GROUPS? SO THAT'S ACTUALLY ONE OF THE MAIN TOPICS OF MY SURVEY. SO ONCE I DISSEMINATE, I'LL BE ABLE TO GET SOME PRELIMINARY RESULTS. SO RIGHT NOW YOUR SURVEY IS BEING CONSIDERED BY THE, UH, HUMAN PRO HUMAN SUBJECTS MM-HMM . PROTECTION COMMITTEE. YES. AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER. MM-HMM . AND YOU HOPE TO HAVE THE SURVEY APPROVED FOR USE WITH HUMAN SUBJECT SOON? YES. I SIGNED OFF ON IT THE OTHER DAY, SO YES, I THINK YOU'RE A STEP CLOSER. YEAH. AND, UH, THAT SURVEY THEN, HOW MANY SURVEYS DO YOU INTEND TO COLLECT DATA FROM? SO I'M HOPING TO GET AT LEAST 50, BUT I'M HOPING, UM, IF I'M ABLE TO DISSEMINATE IT WITHIN THE RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL SYSTEM, WHICH IS PRETTY MUCH CONNECTED, UM, KIND OF UNDER ONE LIKE LIFESPAN AND LIKE BROWN, JUST LIKE ONE BIG UMBRELLA I GUESS. UM, I FEEL LIKE IF I CAN GET IT TO ONE UM, INSTITUTION THERE, THEY CAN KIND OF SPREAD IT AROUND AND, YOU KNOW, PATIENTS CAN THEN SEND IT TO ANY LOVED ONES THEY KNOW WHO MIGHT BE CANCER SURVIVORS OR YOUNG CANCER SURVIVORS. UM, AND I ALSO WORKED, UM, AS A VOLUNTEER AS PART OF A PROGRAM AT BROWN, UM, AT A HOSPITAL IN THAT SYSTEM AS A PATIENT EXPERIENCE VOLUNTEER IN THE ONCOLOGY UNIT. SO I KIND OF HAD HAVE AN IN THERE, UM, TO PROBABLY TALK TO THE NURSES TO KIND OF GIVE THOSE TO THE PATIENTS, UM, [00:25:01] AND THEIR FAMILIES WHEN THEY'RE GETTING DISCHARGED. SO YOU MAY HAVE, WELL, MORE THAN 50 HOPEFULLY RESPONSES. YEAH. AND IF SOMEBODY WANTS A COPY OF THE SURVEY, WHO WATCHING THIS PROGRAM, HOW CAN THEY GET IT? YEAH, SO ONCE I HAVE FORMAL APPROVAL, UM, I'M FIRST OFF GOING TO SEND OUT A BUNCH OF EMAILS TO THESE CANCER SURVIVORSHIP GROUPS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT. UM, 'CAUSE I KNOW SOMEONE, ANOTHER INTERN IN OUR PROGRAM HAD SOME SUCCESS WITH DOING CODE EMAILING. AND SO HOPEFULLY THROUGH THAT I CAN REACH OUT TO MORE ORGANIZATIONS AND THEY CAN KIND OF SPREAD MY FLYER AROUND. 'CAUSE I DO HAVE A FLYER, UM, THAT I MADE WITH MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHO'S ELIGIBLE AND JUST THE LINK TO THE SURVEY. UM, BUT YEAH, I THINK HOPEFULLY I DO GET MORE THAN 50 RESPONDENTS. THAT'D BE GREAT. BUT IS THERE, IS THERE AN EMAIL THEY CAN OH YES, THEY CAN REACH ME ON MY EMAIL IS LEAHCHANG@GMAIL.COM SO, UM, JUST MY NAME AND@GMAIL.COM THAT'S HOW WOULD I PUT GMAIL.COM? YES. YOU ARE THE ONLY LEAHCHANG@GMAIL.COM. MM-HMM . YOU MUST HAVE BEEN AN EARLY, UH, AN EARLY UH, USER. YEAH, I THINK MY MOM SECURED IT RIGHT WHEN, UM, RIGHT WHEN I WAS BORN AND ALSO I HAVE A, LIKE A DIFFERENT SPELLING, SO THAT PROBABLY HELPED A LITTLE BIT WITH GETTING THAT. YEAH, THAT'S VERY COOL. VERY COOL. SO YOU BETTER SPELL IT CH OH LEEA HC HAN G@GMAIL.COM. YEAH. SO IT'S A DOUBLE E IN THE LEAH DOUBLE E IN THE LEAH. YES. ALRIGHT. UM, LEAH, YOU, YOU ARE UH, YOU GOING BACK TO SCHOOL NOW, BUT YOU'RE GONNA CONTINUE YOUR RESEARCH. YES. AND UH, YOU'LL BE A SENIOR? NO, I'LL BE A JUNIOR. I'LL BE A RISING JUNIOR, SO. OKAY. YEAH. SO YOU GOT A WHILE IN SCHOOL? YES. UH, AND WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DO WHEN YOU FINISH? WELL, I'VE KIND OF BEEN CONSIDERING OPTIONS AND I, ONE OF THE OPTIONS THAT HAS REALLY KIND OF SPOKE TO ME RECENTLY WAS CONSIDERING A PRE-LAW PATH, UM, KIND OF LOOKING INTO LIKE PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY SPECIFICALLY. UM, JUST THROUGH, LIKE I MENTIONED A LOT, LIKE MY CLASSES AT BROWN IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAVE REALLY BEEN LIKE QUIET, ENLIGHTENING. AND, UM, I'M ACTUALLY TAKING A CLASS THIS SEMESTER, UM, IT'S CALLED PATHOLOGY TO POWER AND IT'S OUR, THE ONLY COURSE, OR LIKE THE FIRST COURSE, UM, AT BROWN RELATED TO DISABILITY RIGHTS, UM, IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT. AND THAT'S ACTUALLY BEEN PRETTY INTEGRAL FOR, UM, BROWN ACTUALLY ADOPTING MORE ACCOMMODATIONS AND WAYS TO GET INTO BUILDINGS. 'CAUSE BROWN IS A VERY OLD CAMPUS, SO, YOU KNOW, NOT VERY, SOMETIMES THOSE OLDER BUILDINGS CAN BE HARDER TO ACCESS JUST BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY PUT ALL THESE STAIRS, LIKE LACK OF ELEVATORS. AND I THINK, UM, PART OF THE CLASS, UM, AT THE END IS YOU'RE TRYING TO PROPOSE SOMETHING NEW TO INCREASE ACCESSIBILITY, UM, TO THESE BUILDINGS. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE MAIN ASPECTS THAT I FOUND TO BE PARTICULARLY INTERESTING. AND THEN AFTER DOING THIS INTERNSHIP, I HAD ONLY BEEN CONSIDERING TAKING THE CLASS AND NOW I DEFINITELY WANTED TO TAKE THE CLASS AND KIND OF BRING IN WHAT I'VE LEARNED FROM THIS INTERNSHIP AS WELL AND KIND OF SEE HOW THAT APPLIES THERE. YEAH. WELL IT'S INTERESTING DOING A JOB WHERE YOU CAN IMMEDIATELY SEE THE IMPACT MM-HMM . OF THE WORK YOU DO HAS TO BE REWARDING. YES, DEFINITELY. AND YOU'VE BEEN REALLY GREAT IN OUR PROGRAM THIS SUMMER, SO GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND, UH, UH, RECOMMEND, UH, THE SECRET PROGRAM TO YOUR FRIENDS. YES. AND, UH, INTERNSHIPS AT ILRU AS WELL. DEFINITELY. UM, ANY CLOSING COMMENTS, LEAH, THAT YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH FOLKS? UM, IF I HAPPEN TO BE A YOUNG CANCER SURVIVOR MM-HMM . AND I'M WATCHING THE PROGRAM, WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND? I RECOMMEND, UM, JUST KIND OF LOOK INTO THE LEGAL ACCOMMODATIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU. JUST KIND OF HAVE THAT BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE. UM, JUST EVEN A GOOGLE SEARCH CAN PROBABLY SUFFICE AT THIS POINT, BUT I THINK JUST KNOWING THAT THERE ARE THESE ACCOMMODATIONS AVAILABLE TO YOU AND THAT LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOUR LONG-TERM FATIGUE, UM, DEPRESSION, THOSE ARE NOT JUST NORMAL THINGS. THOSE ARE YOUR HIDDEN DISABILITIES AS A RESULT OF YOUR CANCER TREATMENT. AND, UM, THOSE SHOULD BE TAKEN JUST AS SERIOUSLY AS ANYTHING ELSE. SO, SO IT'S A, IT'S A CONSIDERATION PEOPLE WANNA MAKE. YES. AND THEY CAN MAKE THEIR OWN DECISION ABOUT THAT. YES. BUT THEY OUGHT LOOK AT THAT OPTION. MM-HMM . LEAH, THANKS FOR BEING OUR GUEST TODAY. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. THANK ALL OF YOU FOR WATCHING. FOCUS ON ABILITIES. I'M LEX FRIEDEN. I HOPE YOU'LL JOIN US NEXT TIME FOR MORE FOCUS ON ABILITIES. THANKS TO HTV FOR AIRING THE PROGRAM AND PRODUCING IT. AND, UH, ALL OF YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY. THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM IS SPONSORED BY ILRU SOUTHWEST, A DA CENTER PROMOTING COMPLIANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.