Operation House Call started 2025 strong, bringing our innovative health equity program to five schools and reaching over 140 students.
Our parent instructors and self-advocate co-teachers taught essential skills by delivering our curriculum through the lens of personal experience. Students at Tufts University School of Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School, Harvard Medical School, Boston University School of Medicine, and UMass Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing all had incredible feedback after their classroom sessions:
- I loved hearing from both caregivers and people with autism/neurodivergence. The diversity of speakers was enhancing and so informative!
- I loved learning about your personal journeys and how healthcare workers have helped in the past and how we can improve. Thank you for being so honest and vulnerable. I especially liked hearing from the co-teachers!
- I honestly was so impressed by this session and deeply enjoyed it
- I absolutely loved hearing the personal perspectives shared by our three presenters. These stories will stay with us far longer than a simple PowerPoint presentation.
- Thank you for sharing your lived experiences.
After class, the students deepen their learning by meeting with one of our dedicated host families. We are so grateful for our incredible family network who teach valuable lessons the students could not get from a textbook.
To finish the month, we presented with our partners from Tufts Dental and MassHealth at the Yankee Dental Conference. The session, “Inclusive Dental Care: Patients with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities,” was sold out with 100 attendees, demonstrating the strong interest of dental providers to better understand working with individuals with IDD and autism.
The Operation House Call team is energized by the fabulous engagement at our January classes, and excited about the continued work ahead this year!
