Thursday, February 08, 2024
These are the lessons I have learned through being a person with "invisible" disabilities, a case manager for children with disabilities, a family member, and a future MD
With support & guidance from Disability in Medicine Mutual Mentorship Program (DM3P)
What does it mean to by an Ally?
What is considered a disability?
Per the American with Disabilities Act (ADA):
A person with a disability is someone who:
Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities
Has a history or record of such an impairment (such as cancer that is in remission), or
Is perceived by others as having such an impairment (such as a person who has scars from a severe burn).
Identity-first vs. person-first disability language:
Identity-first language: Reflects that a person views their disability as a core component of their identity.
ex: “I am a disabled person.”
ex: "I am a anxious person"
Person-first language: Reflects that a person views their disability as separate from their personhood.
ex: “I am a person with a disability.”
* People may choose identity-first language or person-first language to describe their disability identity.
** Please respect their right to choose the way they identify.
*** Please do not correct their preferred self-identifier.
Rejecting vs. Claiming the Disability Identity:
The Americans with Disabilities Act does not provide a complete list of medical conditions that are automatically considered ADA disabilities.
"People with conditions that qualify as disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may nonetheless choose to reject the disability identity. Conversely, people may claim disability identity even if their condition does not meet ADA criteria for disability status." (1)
How to make Presentations Accessibile:
When introducing yourself, give a short visual description of yourself.
Why: Promotes accessibility for people with low vision
Example: I am a brown skinned woman with brown hair down to my shoulders, and I’m wearing glasses and a blue turtle neck
How: Speak clearly, at a medium volume, a medium tone (not high pitched) and at a relaxed pace.
Why: Promotes accessibility for audience members who are Deaf, hard of hearing, and/or non-native English speakers.
What: Make sure the closed captions are on, including the ability to translate the language into other languages
Why: It allows individuals who are Deaf, hard of hearing, with ADHD, and/or non-native English speakers
What: If your slides contain an image, describe it as you present each slide
Why: "Promotes accessibility for people with low or no vision. Also provides context for all audience members on what you see in the image." (1)
Additional guidance: "Your description need not be long or complex. It just needs to include the main point you were trying to convey in using the image. Can add alt text to all images in your powerpoint so that it is accessible" (1)
How to get someone’s attention:
Introduce your self and position
Don’t rush up to someone!
Ask: "Would you like a hug, handshake, or fist bump?"
How to have a Conversation:
Sit at eye level - don't stand over them
Sit in front of them but slightly at an angle so it doesn’t look like you are attacking them
Use interpreters if you don't speak the same language
Talk to the person not the interpreter, caregiver, assistant because if not it seems like they don’t matter
Do not speak over or for them
Adjust to education level
Don't talk to them like a baby or childNo "cutsey language" Don't use a high pitch voice
Recognize the humanity in everyone
DON'T EVER USE THESE WORDS because they are disrespectful:
Retard/RetardedMidgetCripple/CrippledSpazSpecial Needs
How to Help Someone with a disability
If someone is blind ask if they would like you to walk with them and ask which side
Always ask about accessibility needs before a meeting or event
Say: “Please let me know if there are any accessibility needs to support you”
DON'T TOUCH an accessibility or mobility device:These are “extensions of their body” so don’t touch them
Always ask before moving any accessibility device
"If you do not identify as disabled, please defer to the lived experiences of those with disability." (1)
"Listen to perspectives of disabled community members without negating their lived experiences." (1)
"Refrain from centering your own narrative of what it is like to interact with the disability community as a non-disabled person unless asked to do so." (1)
To offset the burden of an individual to educate you about the disability experience, respect their wishes if they choose not to share their perspective or disability with you.
Respond to an individual with disabilities feedback on accessibility with grace and a willingness to change.(1)
"Having one type of disability does not grant a person omniscience about the lived realities of people with all types of disability." (1)
Disabilities aren’t something that need to be healed or cured (2)
Being disabled does not want warrant pity (2)
My Podcast: "Life as a Patient-Doctor"
Learn more how to care for individuals with Disabilities
Learn more about Support Groups, Books, and Resources for living with a disability
EQUAL ACCESS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: The Guide for Health Science and Professional Education
Disability as Diversity A Guidebook for Inclusion in Medicine, Nursing, and the Health Professions
Rastogi. S, MD. Speaker Expectations for the Disability in Medicine Mutual Mentorship Program (DM3P)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/100AdOeSYh9tsxIw3syGeC4K739E2a8MOIO00IxYSNnE/edit#heading=h.6rxfhsnp0qn8
2. Ladau, Emily. Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally. Ten Speed Press, an Imprint of Random House, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC, 2021.
I blog about living as a patient and a medical doctor.
Check out my Workbook, Residency App, & advising Here
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