It is National Doctors' Day tomorrow, July 1. And on this day, a group of doctors with disabilities from India are collaborating with the University of Chicago for a project regarding better disability education in healthcare. The project aims to train health professional educators teaching disability competencies using methods from medical humanities.
A statement released by them read, "Dr Satendra Singh, a distinguished physician with a disability, will be one of the key members of this group. This transformative initiative, which builds on earlier work to draft competencies on disability inclusive healthcare now integrated into India's national medical curriculum, seeks to empower healthcare professionals with the tools to provide inclusive and equitable care for all."
"The project is titled Disability Inclusive Compassionate Care 2.0," it added.
What is the purpose of this?
As per the press release shared by Dr Satendra Singh, Prof of Physiology at the University College of Medical Sciences, the highlights of the project are:
1. The project will create a cohort of health professional educators who will be equipped with the necessary knowledge and teaching methods to effectively impart disability-related education. Further, these educators will then serve as pioneers, piloting the innovative teaching methods in their respective health professional colleges, spreading the impact of the project far and wide
2. The project will use the power of storytelling and creative approaches to enhance healthcare education. Methods such as Theatre of the Oppressed, poetry, disability ethics and graphic medicine will be incorporated.
3. The project will culminate with a national conference where the findings, experiences and best practices from the project will be shared with a wider audience. Additionally, a comprehensive teaching guide will be developed, encompassing the innovative methods used in the project.
Moreover, this teaching guide will be made freely available to educators across the country, ensuring its accessibility and promoting the widespread adoption of disability-inclusive teaching practices, as stated in a press notice shared with EdexLive.
Collaborations with colleges
As per the statement, "The project, a collaboration between esteemed institutions including the University of Chicago, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Sangath, University College of Medical Sciences, and Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, brings together experts from different fields under the umbrella of the initiative for Health Equity Advocacy and Research (iHEAR) to create positive change in healthcare education."
