12 Tips for Including Disability Awareness within Undergraduate Medical Education Curricula

Abstract

Persons with disabilities (PWD) make up the largest minority group in the U.S. and experience significant health care disparities. Effective training for physicians who will inevitably encounter these patients is warranted; however, as low as 23% of American medical schools have a disability curriculum, which has resulted in a sense of unpreparedness and discomfort among physicians when caring for PWD. The goal of disability training is to provide the proper knowledge and skills to address the unique needs of PWD, mitigate health disparities, and help shape more compassionate and informed physicians. This article presents 12 tips to incorporate disability training into undergraduate medical education. These tips emphasize the inclusion of PWD in all stages of the curriculum, interprofessional education, experiential learning, and exposure to a range of disability types. By leveraging these tips, educators will be able to create effective learning opportunities and improve the future healthcare of PWD.