Moving From Disability to Possibility

• Published in: JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 316; no. 17; pp. 1767 - 1768
• Main Author: Herzer, Kurt R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Medical Association 01.11.2016
• Subjects: Career Choice; Communication Aids for Disabled; Computer Terminals; Disabled Persons - legislation & jurisprudence; Education discrimination; Health education; Humans; Medical schools; School Admission Criteria; Schools, Medical; Students with disabilities; United States; Vision, Low - diagnosis; Vision, Low - rehabilitation; Visually Impaired Persons - legislation & jurisprudence; Visually Impaired Persons - rehabilitation; United States > US
• ISSN: 0098-7484; 1538-3598
• DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.9956

In 2015, the US celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. As a nation, the US has made important progress toward improving the education and employment opportunities for Americans with disabilities. Nevertheless, disparities in education and employment remain--particularly in the health professions. In recent years, several notable lawsuits have been filed against medical schools related to the schools' failure to provide accommodations to students with disabilities. In some instances, these cases involved overt discrimination. But, more broadly, these lawsuits are emblematic of the need for a new lens with which to look at the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in medical education. That new lens should emphasize possibility. Here, Herzer discusses the barriers to inclusivity of students with disabilities.