How can you make your medical practice more inclusive for patients with disabilities?

Practice Wide Training. It is not just doctors that need to do the work to ensure inclusion; inclusion should start from the moment a person steps through the door or as soon as they make contact with the service. Ensure all team members understand different abilities, physical and mental, and have the skills and tools to create empowering and safe spaces. Overlaying this with accessibility adjustments is a powerful way to be inclusive and equitable.

Deafness is a spectrum. People with hearing loss might identify as deaf, hard of hearing or hearing impaired. Those who identify as culturally deaf do not consider themselves disabled.

Desde la visión neuro psicopedagógica la discapacidad se enfoca desde la diferencia en los procesos de aprendizaje y desarrollo psicosocial, más que en la presencia de inhabilidades. Es decir, cada ser humano abordado desde su propia realidad y con las posibilidades de mejoramiento continuo, desde su propia realidad. (ya sean condicione físicas o mentales).

Always check with deaf patients about their communication preferences. Deaf people might use sign language or speak, or even both. It is important to remember that not all deaf people can lipread hence checking in with deaf patients on their preferences for communication.

Make sure you communicate directly with the person. If they have a support person or interpreter with them, this is not the patient. It is a common, though often unconscious practice, to inappropriately speak to the support person or interpreter. This infers a belief that the person themselves is incapable.

When a deaf patient requests a sign language, make sure that is organised immediately. Make sure staff are familiar with the process of booking a sign language interpreter. Do not make decisions on whether they need an interpreter - the deaf patient will make that decision because they have lived experience and they know their communication preferences.

Orientation and mobility specialists can assist you in making your environment accessible for people who are blind or have low vision.

Ensure there are height-appropriate service desks at reception. Many wheelchair users still come across medical practices where the desks are standing height which can make it difficult to get the attention of reception staff.

Engage with your local deaf organisation to organise deafness awareness training for your medical practice - this will gone a long way to ensure your practice is deaf-friendly and that your staff are trained to ensure deaf patients have the opportunity to access healthcare.

Training is essential, especially when understanding the intersectionality of disabled lives. Women with disabilities will be seeking out sexual/reproductive advice from medical staff and staff should be comfortable and equipped for these types of conversations.

Understanding fundamental orientation and mobility practices that those of us who are blind or have low vision use is important. Also understanding the value of stimming for many of us who are Autistic, rather than assuming stimming is an inappropriate behaviour.

Collaborate with diversity, equity and inclusion specialists to help identify gaps in your training for all staff - particularly thinking of the gaps in medical training on women's health / reproductive health and the mental health impact on those who cannot get a swift or easy diagnosis.

One of the simplest ways you can make your medical practice accessible to people with disabilities is to offer telehealth appointments. You should offer both audio and video calls and make sure that your online booking system provides these options.

When booking sign language interpreters, make sure they are accredited by the national licensing authority for interpreters. Do not rely on the deaf patient's family members (especially children) to interpret for you and them as this will create unnecessary emotional stress and trauma for everyone involved.