2021 President-Elect Candidate Statements
Questions for APA Presidential Candidates
APA Division 22 (Rehabilitation Psychology) does not have an endorsement policy concerning candidates for the office of President of the APA. However, we believe that our membership will benefit from learning how each candidate views our Division, our rehabilitation practice and science, and our work with and advocacy for individuals with disability.
To that end, we invite each candidate to read our mission and vision statements below and to then answer the three questions that follow them. Your responses to these questions will then be shared with our members so that they can make an informed decision in the forthcoming election for President-Elect of the APA.
APA Division 22 Mission Statement
Our mission is to lead the community of psychologists who, through research, practice, education and advocacy, enhance the well-being of people living with disability or chronic health conditions.
APA Division 22 Vision Statements
Set the standard of practice for culturally competent, evidence-based, wholistic, and personalized care.
Promote innovative and rigorous research to improve outcomes, services, and organizations, and reduce costs.
Set the standards for education and training in the competencies of rehabilitation psychology.
Be the premier source of psychological knowledge regarding disability and chronic health conditions for healthcare professionals, policymakers, the public, and the media.
Champion disability as a human rights and social justice issue.
Move communities and organizations towards greater access for all in health care, the workplace, and public engagement.
Questions for APA President-Elect Candidates
1. How could you, as APA president, address the issue of including disability in the definition of diversity in the applied sense (e.g.; development of cultural competency in disability among psychologists)?
2. What do you see as health service psychology’s role in health care reform efforts and legislative advances, particularly as they affect those with disabilities and chronic health conditions?
3. How can psychology meet the needs of our largest minority consumer, the nearly 1 in 5 individuals in the U.S. who have a disability?
Please submit your answers to the Division 22 Administrator. The preferred format is a PDF. Each candidates responses, along with those of other candidates, will be distributed to all Division 22 members approximately one month prior to the election.