Movement & Organizing Library

As of 2010, 19% of the US population lives with a disability, and with the average lifespan of persons with disability increasing, this number is expected to rise. This has prompted the identification of a need for disability-based education by the US Institute of Medicine, the Surgeon General of the United States, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and several other academic policymaking institutions. Despite the identification of disability education as an area of need, many physicians and other medical professionals lack the training to effectively communicate and treat patients with disabilities. This review serves to assess the current state of disability education in US medical schools, highlight published efforts in the field and identify future directions in medical education.

This article explores the need for improved training around disability and supporting folks living with disability in health professional institutions. The article shares that it is important for professionals to understand not just disease, but also the experience of living with disability. Improved survival rates, the shift from acute to chronic disease, and the ageing of the population mean that the number of disabled people in the population is likely to increase; thus, the need for effective education about their health-care needs is even more pressing.

People with disabilities (PWD) comprise a significant part of the population yet experience some of the most profound health disparities. Among the greatest barriers to quality care are inadequate health professions education related to caring for PWD. Drawing upon the expertise of health professions educators in medicine, public health, nursing, social work, and physician assistant programs, this forum showcases innovative methods for teaching core disability skills and concepts grounded in disability studies and the health humanities. Each of the essays offers practical guidance for developing curricular interventions appropriate for students at various levels of training and familiarity with disability to be implemented in classroom discussions, case-based learning, lectures, panels, and clinical simulations across the full spectrum of pre-health and health professions education.

Social inequities threaten the health of the global population. A superficial acknowledgement of social justice by nursing’s foundational documents may limit the degree to which nurses view injustice as relevant to nursing practice and education. The purpose was to examine conceptualizations of social justice and connections to broader contexts in the most recent editions.