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Being named to the Forbes #ForbesAccessibility200 list for the second consecutive year reflects the strength, brilliance, and persistence of this community.

The Docs With Disabilities Initiative was built by people who believed medicine could do better — and who were willing to work together to make that happen.

To our volunteer leaders, learners, researchers, physicians, nurses, educators, disability resource professionals, storytellers, collaborators, and partners:

Thank you.
Thank you for mentoring.
Thank you for challenging systems.
Thank you for asking difficult questions.
Thank you for creating space for others.
Thank you for believing disabled people belong in every part of healthcare and science.

We are proud of what we’ve built together — and even more excited about what comes next. We have collected messages from you, read to see what others have said.

#DocsWithDisabilities

Being named to the Forbes #ForbesAccessibility200 list for the second consecutive year reflects the strength, brilliance, and persistence of this community.

The Docs With Disabilities Initiative was built by people who believed medicine could do better — and who were willing to work together to make that happen.

To our volunteer leaders, learners, researchers, physicians, nurses, educators, disability resource professionals, storytellers, collaborators, and partners:

Thank you.
Thank you for mentoring.
Thank you for challenging systems.
Thank you for asking difficult questions.
Thank you for creating space for others.
Thank you for believing disabled people belong in every part of healthcare and science.

We are proud of what we’ve built together — and even more excited about what comes next. We have collected messages from you, read to see what others have said.

#DocsWithDisabilities

Being named to the Forbes #ForbesAccessibility200 list for the second consecutive year reflects the strength, brilliance, and persistence of this community.

The Docs With Disabilities Initiative was built by people who believed medicine could do better — and who were willing to work together to make that happen.

To our volunteer leaders, learners, researchers, physicians, nurses, educators, disability resource professionals, storytellers, collaborators, and partners:

Thank you.
Thank you for mentoring.
Thank you for challenging systems.
Thank you for asking difficult questions.
Thank you for creating space for others.
Thank you for believing disabled people belong in every part of healthcare and science.

We are proud of what we’ve built together — and even more excited about what comes next. We have collected messages from you, read to see what others have said.

#DocsWithDisabilities

Being named to the Forbes #ForbesAccessibility200 list for the second consecutive year reflects the strength, brilliance, and persistence of this community.

The Docs With Disabilities Initiative was built by people who believed medicine could do better — and who were willing to work together to make that happen.

To our volunteer leaders, learners, researchers, physicians, nurses, educators, disability resource professionals, storytellers, collaborators, and partners:

Thank you.
Thank you for mentoring.
Thank you for challenging systems.
Thank you for asking difficult questions.
Thank you for creating space for others.
Thank you for believing disabled people belong in every part of healthcare and science.

We are proud of what we’ve built together — and even more excited about what comes next. We have collected messages from you, read to see what others have said.

#DocsWithDisabilities

Being named to the Forbes #ForbesAccessibility200 list for the second consecutive year reflects the strength, brilliance, and persistence of this community.

The Docs With Disabilities Initiative was built by people who believed medicine could do better — and who were willing to work together to make that happen.

To our volunteer leaders, learners, researchers, physicians, nurses, educators, disability resource professionals, storytellers, collaborators, and partners:

Thank you.
Thank you for mentoring.
Thank you for challenging systems.
Thank you for asking difficult questions.
Thank you for creating space for others.
Thank you for believing disabled people belong in every part of healthcare and science.

We are proud of what we’ve built together — and even more excited about what comes next. We have collected messages from you, read to see what others have said.

#DocsWithDisabilities

Being named to the Forbes #ForbesAccessibility200 list for the second consecutive year reflects the strength, brilliance, and persistence of this community.

The Docs With Disabilities Initiative was built by people who believed medicine could do better — and who were willing to work together to make that happen.

To our volunteer leaders, learners, researchers, physicians, nurses, educators, disability resource professionals, storytellers, collaborators, and partners:

Thank you.
Thank you for mentoring.
Thank you for challenging systems.
Thank you for asking difficult questions.
Thank you for creating space for others.
Thank you for believing disabled people belong in every part of healthcare and science.

We are proud of what we’ve built together — and even more excited about what comes next. We have collected messages from you, read to see what others have said.

#DocsWithDisabilities

Being named to the Forbes #ForbesAccessibility200 list for the second consecutive year reflects the strength, brilliance, and persistence of this community.

The Docs With Disabilities Initiative was built by people who believed medicine could do better — and who were willing to work together to make that happen.

To our volunteer leaders, learners, researchers, physicians, nurses, educators, disability resource professionals, storytellers, collaborators, and partners:

Thank you.
Thank you for mentoring.
Thank you for challenging systems.
Thank you for asking difficult questions.
Thank you for creating space for others.
Thank you for believing disabled people belong in every part of healthcare and science.

We are proud of what we’ve built together — and even more excited about what comes next. We have collected messages from you, read to see what others have said.

#DocsWithDisabilities

We are incredibly honored that Docs with Disabilities Initiative has been named @Forbes #ForbesAccessibility200 list for the second year in a row!

What began as a shared vision has grown into a global community working to advance inclusion, access, and belonging across health professions education.

This recognition reflects years of collective effort:
Research that challenges assumptions
Educational resources reaching institutions worldwide
Partnerships that move policy forward
Mentorship of emerging leaders
And the powerful stories shared by disabled trainees and clinicians
We are especially grateful to everyone who has built this work alongside us — our volunteer leaders, collaborators, students, community members, and institutional partners.
There is still much work ahead, but we remain hopeful about what is possible when disabled people are centered not just as participants in medicine, but as leaders shaping its future.
— Lisa Meeks & Justin Bullock

#DisabilityInclusion #AccessibilityMatters #DisabilityAdvocacy #MedicalEducation

Doctor @jbullockruns of @docswithdisabilities for Disability Culture Currents: “I am in no way unique as a disabled person who has felt harmed by the health system. But when I demonstrate agency to serve, these traumas transform, helping me care for, and connect with, my patients.”

We are deeply honored to share that the Docs With Disabilities Initiative has once again been named to the @Forbes Accessibility 200 list for the second year in a row.

This recognition reflects the collective work of so many people and supporters including disabled trainees, physicians, educators, storytellers, advocates, institutional partners, and volunteer leaders who continue advancing access, inclusion, and equity across medicine and health professions education.

At DWDI, we believe disability belongs in medicine. Disabled clinicians, scientists, nurses, and trainees bring valuable perspectives that strengthen healthcare, education, research, and patient care. We also believe meaningful systems change happens through collaboration, storytelling, education, research, and community.

Thank you to everyone who has shared your experiences, partnered with us, attended a webinar, mentored a learner, advocated for change, or helped create more accessible spaces in medicine

This recognition belongs to all of you.

#ForbesAccessibility200

🌸 Now Open Access (Again!) in Academic Medicine

What would #MedEd look like if accessibility and disability inclusion were built in from the start—not added later? The Access in Medicine (AIM) 2024 Summit Proceedings are now open access again, bringing this question—and the work ahead—back into focus.

🔗 Read the open-access supplement here! https://bit.ly/AM_DisabilitySupplement

Held at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, the AIM Summit brought together 60 leaders across training—students, residents, faculty, deans, DRPs, researchers, and national orgs—to examine how ableism shapes medical education and what meaningful change requires.

✨ What emerged: guiding principles + actionable strategies to advance disability inclusion from admissions through residency—grounded in equity, informed by lived experience, and designed for real-world application.

💡 Themes that continue to resonate:
• Accessibility as a core element of justice—not an add-on
• Representation as essential to high-quality care
• Universal design as a starting point, not a retrofit
• Cross-role collaboration as the engine for change
• Visibility and belonging as culture-shaping forces

This is about building something more intentional, more sustainable, and more aligned with the values of medicine.

💬 We'd love to know: How is your institution approaching accessibility and disability inclusion?
#MedicalEducation #DisabilityInclusion #EquityInMedicine #AIMSummit

🌸 Now Open Access (Again!) in Academic Medicine

What would #MedEd look like if accessibility and disability inclusion were built in from the start—not added later? The Access in Medicine (AIM) 2024 Summit Proceedings are now open access again, bringing this question—and the work ahead—back into focus.

🔗 Read the open-access supplement here! https://bit.ly/AM_DisabilitySupplement

Held at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, the AIM Summit brought together 60 leaders across training—students, residents, faculty, deans, DRPs, researchers, and national orgs—to examine how ableism shapes medical education and what meaningful change requires.

✨ What emerged: guiding principles + actionable strategies to advance disability inclusion from admissions through residency—grounded in equity, informed by lived experience, and designed for real-world application.

💡 Themes that continue to resonate:
• Accessibility as a core element of justice—not an add-on
• Representation as essential to high-quality care
• Universal design as a starting point, not a retrofit
• Cross-role collaboration as the engine for change
• Visibility and belonging as culture-shaping forces

This is about building something more intentional, more sustainable, and more aligned with the values of medicine.

💬 We'd love to know: How is your institution approaching accessibility and disability inclusion?
#MedicalEducation #DisabilityInclusion #EquityInMedicine #AIMSummit

🌸 Now Open Access (Again!) in Academic Medicine

What would #MedEd look like if accessibility and disability inclusion were built in from the start—not added later? The Access in Medicine (AIM) 2024 Summit Proceedings are now open access again, bringing this question—and the work ahead—back into focus.

🔗 Read the open-access supplement here! https://bit.ly/AM_DisabilitySupplement

Held at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, the AIM Summit brought together 60 leaders across training—students, residents, faculty, deans, DRPs, researchers, and national orgs—to examine how ableism shapes medical education and what meaningful change requires.

✨ What emerged: guiding principles + actionable strategies to advance disability inclusion from admissions through residency—grounded in equity, informed by lived experience, and designed for real-world application.

💡 Themes that continue to resonate:
• Accessibility as a core element of justice—not an add-on
• Representation as essential to high-quality care
• Universal design as a starting point, not a retrofit
• Cross-role collaboration as the engine for change
• Visibility and belonging as culture-shaping forces

This is about building something more intentional, more sustainable, and more aligned with the values of medicine.

💬 We'd love to know: How is your institution approaching accessibility and disability inclusion?
#MedicalEducation #DisabilityInclusion #EquityInMedicine #AIMSummit

🌸 Now Open Access (Again!) in Academic Medicine

What would #MedEd look like if accessibility and disability inclusion were built in from the start—not added later? The Access in Medicine (AIM) 2024 Summit Proceedings are now open access again, bringing this question—and the work ahead—back into focus.

🔗 Read the open-access supplement here! https://bit.ly/AM_DisabilitySupplement

Held at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, the AIM Summit brought together 60 leaders across training—students, residents, faculty, deans, DRPs, researchers, and national orgs—to examine how ableism shapes medical education and what meaningful change requires.

✨ What emerged: guiding principles + actionable strategies to advance disability inclusion from admissions through residency—grounded in equity, informed by lived experience, and designed for real-world application.

💡 Themes that continue to resonate:
• Accessibility as a core element of justice—not an add-on
• Representation as essential to high-quality care
• Universal design as a starting point, not a retrofit
• Cross-role collaboration as the engine for change
• Visibility and belonging as culture-shaping forces

This is about building something more intentional, more sustainable, and more aligned with the values of medicine.

💬 We'd love to know: How is your institution approaching accessibility and disability inclusion?
#MedicalEducation #DisabilityInclusion #EquityInMedicine #AIMSummit

🌸 Now Open Access (Again!) in Academic Medicine

What would #MedEd look like if accessibility and disability inclusion were built in from the start—not added later? The Access in Medicine (AIM) 2024 Summit Proceedings are now open access again, bringing this question—and the work ahead—back into focus.

🔗 Read the open-access supplement here! https://bit.ly/AM_DisabilitySupplement

Held at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, the AIM Summit brought together 60 leaders across training—students, residents, faculty, deans, DRPs, researchers, and national orgs—to examine how ableism shapes medical education and what meaningful change requires.

✨ What emerged: guiding principles + actionable strategies to advance disability inclusion from admissions through residency—grounded in equity, informed by lived experience, and designed for real-world application.

💡 Themes that continue to resonate:
• Accessibility as a core element of justice—not an add-on
• Representation as essential to high-quality care
• Universal design as a starting point, not a retrofit
• Cross-role collaboration as the engine for change
• Visibility and belonging as culture-shaping forces

This is about building something more intentional, more sustainable, and more aligned with the values of medicine.

💬 We'd love to know: How is your institution approaching accessibility and disability inclusion?
#MedicalEducation #DisabilityInclusion #EquityInMedicine #AIMSummit

🌸 Now Open Access (Again!) in Academic Medicine

What would #MedEd look like if accessibility and disability inclusion were built in from the start—not added later? The Access in Medicine (AIM) 2024 Summit Proceedings are now open access again, bringing this question—and the work ahead—back into focus.

🔗 Read the open-access supplement here! https://bit.ly/AM_DisabilitySupplement

Held at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, the AIM Summit brought together 60 leaders across training—students, residents, faculty, deans, DRPs, researchers, and national orgs—to examine how ableism shapes medical education and what meaningful change requires.

✨ What emerged: guiding principles + actionable strategies to advance disability inclusion from admissions through residency—grounded in equity, informed by lived experience, and designed for real-world application.

💡 Themes that continue to resonate:
• Accessibility as a core element of justice—not an add-on
• Representation as essential to high-quality care
• Universal design as a starting point, not a retrofit
• Cross-role collaboration as the engine for change
• Visibility and belonging as culture-shaping forces

This is about building something more intentional, more sustainable, and more aligned with the values of medicine.

💬 We'd love to know: How is your institution approaching accessibility and disability inclusion?
#MedicalEducation #DisabilityInclusion #EquityInMedicine #AIMSummit

New research just dropped in JAMA Network Open 📊

A national study of 1,824 internal medicine residents with disabilities reveals:

• Persistent inequities in access to accommodations

• Lower access for residents with cognitive disabilities and marginalized identities

• Nearly 1 in 3 residents who needed accommodations didn’t request them

Why?

⚠️ Fear of stigma

⚠️ Unclear institutional processes

This is about culture, safety, and systems. We can do better

👉 Read the full study: https://bit.ly/AccommodationAccessandRequestsInIM

A lot has been building behind the scenes 🌷☀️🌸

From national stages 🎤 to new research 📊 and community milestones 🤝—this spring has been full of momentum.

🏆 Awards

🌍 Global collaborations

📣 Upcoming events

You’ll want to see what’s inside 👀

👉 Read the full update: https://bit.ly/Spring26NL (link in bio)

“Political disclosure” is oriented towards destigmatizing disability in medicine–rather than securing accommodations.

Join Ep 23 of Research & Resource Rounds' dive into Dr. Jain’s groundbreaking concept.

👉https://bit.ly/DWDI_RR_Ep23

#Research_Resource_Rounds #DocsWithDisabilities

Description: This episode opens Collection V, Disclosure: the social, political, cultural, and legal dimensions of the choice to disclose disability in the health sciences.

Jain introduces the concept of “political disclosure,” a form of disability disclosure oriented towards leveraging disability identity for collective benefit and the destigmatization of disability in medicine–rather than securing accommodations. The article identifies three forms of political disclosure—visibility, upstanding, and activism—and examines the personal, relational, and institutional factors that tilt individuals toward or away from these acts. Grounded in disability studies and social theory, Jain’s analysis situates students’ disclosure practices within the broader ableist culture of medicine and foregrounds the value of disability epistemologies in medical education. Jain’s work is grounded in interviews with disabled medical students and school officials across four medical schools. The episode also highlights resources for disability community-building in medicine that has flourished in the years since the article’s publication.

This podcast is a production of the DWDI and the CDHW. The opinions on this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of their respective institutions or organizations. It is released under creative commons attribution, non-commercial, non-derivative license. This episode was produced by Zoey Martin-Lockhart (@Zoey__beta) and Lisa Meeks, with assistance from our audio editor Jacob Feeman.

This episode is sponsored, in part, by the University of Michigan Center for Disability Health and Wellness and National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) Grant #90RTHF0005.

Kicking off our 2nd Access in Medicine Summit 🎉

This year is focused on translating research and the literature into policy and practice—what it actually looks like on the ground.

We’re bringing together 50 student affairs leaders and DRPs, selected through a highly competitive process, to engage with recent legal cases and research—and apply those insights to current and emerging best practices for disability inclusion in #MedEd.

At the center of our Summit model is partnership.

Bringing Student Affairs and DRP teams together—those who do this work side by side—is where real progress happens.

We’re looking forward to sharing proceedings from the Summit and continuing to build new, innovative approaches to access.

Interested in joining a future Summit? We’ll share details about the next one in our upcoming newsletter. Stay connected:
https://www.docswithdisabilities.org/

Research & Resource Rounds Episode 23 kicks off Collection V: Disability Disclosure!

Explore how disabled medical students use “political disclosure” to resist ableism and reshape medical culture.

Join us to discuss Dr. Neera Jain’s brilliant article.

👉 https://bit.ly/DWDI_RR_Ep23

#Research_Resource_Rounds #DocsWithDisabilities

Description: This episode opens Collection V, Disclosure: the social, political, cultural, and legal dimensions of the choice to disclose disability in the health sciences.

Jain introduces the concept of “political disclosure,” a form of disability disclosure oriented towards leveraging disability identity for collective benefit and the destigmatization of disability in medicine–rather than securing accommodations. The article identifies three forms of political disclosure—visibility, upstanding, and activism—and examines the personal, relational, and institutional factors that tilt individuals toward or away from these acts. Grounded in disability studies and social theory, Jain’s analysis situates students’ disclosure practices within the broader ableist culture of medicine and foregrounds the value of disability epistemologies in medical education. Jain’s work is grounded in interviews with disabled medical students and school officials across four medical schools. The episode also highlights resources for disability community-building in medicine that has flourished in the years since the article’s publication.

📣 New @jamanetwork Open paper alert!

Workplace Accommodations and Attrition Among Physicians With Disabilities

Led by Dr. @zoieclarise Sheets, accompanied by Christopher Moreland and Lisa Meeks, PhD, MA in partnership with the @aamctoday workforce team Michael Dill, Zakia Nouri, Xiaochu Hu, PhD and Sarah Conrad !

Physician attrition is a well-known and growing problem. This study examines risk of attrition for #DocsWithDisabilities, including underlying reasons for pausing or leaving the workforce and the impact of accommodations.

Findings:

➡️ Disabled physicians were more likely to report intent to leave practice, or having paused or reduced practice, than those without disabilities.

➡️ The most common reason for both groups? Burnout.

➡️ Importantly, accommodations decreased risk of attrition.

The authors remind us that supportive accommodation policies and processes are a key component of supporting – and retaining – this important segment of the healthcare workforce.

Read here: https://bit.ly/JAMAOpen_WorkplaceAccommodations

#DisabilityInclusion #Attrition #Accessibility

Research & Resource Rounds' new Episode 22 explores how to support disabled medical students through the UME-to-GME transition.
Learn practical strategies for mentors, DRPs, and programs!

👉 https://bit.ly/DWDI_RR_Ep22

#research_resource_rounds #DocsWithDisabilities

Description: This episode explores concrete strategies for supporting disabled medical students as they navigate the critical transition from medical school to residency. The authors organize their recommendations across four key areas: disability disclosure, specialty selection, program selection, and requesting accommodations in graduate medical education. The episode describes the vital roles that faculty mentors, Disability Resource Professionals (DRPs), UME institutions, GME programs, and accrediting bodies each play in creating environments where disabled learners can thrive.