The inaccessible road to science for people with disabilities

Lisa M Meeks; Mytien Nguyen; Karina Pereira-Lima; Zoie C Sheets; Rylee Betchkal; Bonnielin K Swenor

doi:10.1016/j.molmed.2024.08.006

The inaccessible road to science for people with disabilities

Trends Mol Med. 2024 Sep 10:S1471-4914(24)00220-X. doi: 10.1016/j.molmed.2024.08.006. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Lisa M Meeks¹, Mytien Nguyen², Karina Pereira-Lima³, Zoie C Sheets⁴, Rylee Betchkal⁵, Bonnielin K Swenor⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Learning Health Sciences, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Family Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Docs with Disabilities Initiative, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: meeksli@med.umich.edu.
² Docs with Disabilities Initiative, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
³ Docs with Disabilities Initiative, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
⁴ Docs with Disabilities Initiative, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Internal Medicine, University of Chicago School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
⁵ Docs with Disabilities Initiative, Chicago, IL, USA; Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
⁶ Docs with Disabilities Initiative, Chicago, IL, USA; The Johns Hopkins University Disability Health Research Center, Baltimore, MD, USA; School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Johns Hopkins Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.

PMID: 39358178
DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2024.08.006

Abstract

This article examines the contributions of disabled scientists and the barriers they face, including systemic ableism and lack of inclusivity. It offers recommendations to foster an inclusive STEM environment, underscoring the importance of supporting disabled scientists to boost innovation and equity.

Keywords: ableism; accommodation; biomedicine; disability; innovation; physician; scientist.