The AAMC recognizes the importance of including disability and accessibility in its mission to support the diverse needs of learners, healthcare professionals, researchers, and patients. From testing and admissions practices for students, curriculum design in medical education, professional supports for clinicians and researchers, to patient care, ensuring access and support for individuals with disabilities is essential to achieving equity in academic medicine.
For those who are interested in learning more about disability and accessibility, below are links to AAMC webpages focused on disability and accessibility across academic medicine, in biomedical research, in healthcare and in medical education.
Across Academic Medicine
- Accessibility Resource Bundle: This curated collection includes scholarly resources, in-person and virtual events, and other information to help you stay up to date on the latest work happening across medical education.
- Disability Inclusion Virtual Community: Community of medical educators, disability resource professionals, admissions leaders, and assessment specialists focused on disability inclusion in medical education and an outlet for sharing valuable resources to aid stakeholders in creating disability inclusive environments. Topics include admissions, assessments, performance and trajectory, accommodations in didactic and clinical settings, legal case review and analysis, technical standards, and remediating learners with disabilities.
- Disability Representation and Inclusion within Academic Medicine Series – AAMC IDEAS Learning Series: AAMC webinar series featuring members of the disability community and disability experts from across the continuum discussing the need for increased representation and inclusion of people with disabilities in academic medicine. These webinars include topics relevant to physicians, researchers, and those in the education and training stages of their career.
In Biomedical Research
- Coming Soon
In Health Care & Access to Care
- The AAMC Center for Health Justice: The AAMC Center for Health Justice was founded in 2021 to work across sectors to build evidence and share expertise about policies that ensure every community, including individuals with disabilities, has the vital conditions for health and wellbeing. In recommendations to the federal government, the Center has expressed support for the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in policymaking, government programs, as well as research opportunities to address the persistent inequities the disability community faces.
- Advancing Health Equity Through Telehealth: AAMC webinar series aiming to highlight the role of academic medicine in promoting and advancing health equity through telehealth. Key elements of the series will focus on understanding the impact of telehealth on equity and access to care, the role data can play in improving telehealth access, highlight healthcare leaders approaches in digital equity, and evolving best practices that are being used by health systems to improve digital health literacy and narrow the digital divide. Disability and Inclusion specific webinars include:
Click on the handouts tab for each webinar to access relevant resources.
In Medical Education
- Exam Accommodations: The AAMC is guided by our mission to provide a valid exam while maintaining a level playing field for all test takers, by ensuring access to persons with disabilities in accordance with relevant law. Learn more about PREview Accommodations and MCAT Exam Accommodations.
- Accessibility, Inclusion, and Action in Medical Education: Lived Experiences of Learners and Physicians with Disabilities: Identifying cultural and structural barriers and catalyzing institutional policies that support all qualified learners, regardless of disability, throughout the medical education continuum is a worthy and essential goal. This publication weaves together major themes from interviews conducted with 47 students, residents, and physicians with disabilities.