What I Didn’t Learn About Disability in Medical School

More than three years ago, I sat in a lecture hall with my medical school classmates listening to a panel of patients speak about their experiences as wheelchair users. The purpose was to give my class an opportunity to learn about the lives of patients who spend most of their days in wheelchairs. These patients were not ill, nor were they being actively rehabilitated for anything that was wrong. They were healthy patients whose modes of mobility were simply different than most of ours.

As an amputee, I was mindful of how medical schools teach students about disability. Because of my personal experience, I felt better prepared than most of my peers.