Author: Neera R. Jain

Citation: Jain, Neera R. "Political Disclosure: Resisting Ableism in Medical Education." Disability & Society 35, no. 3 (2020): 389–412. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2019.1647149.

Description:

This episode opens Collection V, Disclosure: the social, political, cultural, and legal dimensions of the choice to disclose disability in the health sciences.

Jain introduces the concept of "political disclosure," a form of disability disclosure oriented towards leveraging disability identity for collective benefit and the destigmatization of disability in medicine–rather than securing accommodations. The article identifies three forms of political disclosure—visibility, upstanding, and activism—and examines the personal, relational, and institutional factors that tilt individuals toward or away from these acts. Grounded in disability studies and social theory, Jain's analysis situates students' disclosure practices within the broader ableist culture of medicine and foregrounds the value of disability epistemologies in medical education. Jain's work is grounded in interviews with disabled medical students and school officials across four medical schools. The episode also highlights resources for disability community-building in medicine that has flourished in the years since the article's publication.

Producer: Zoey Martin Lockhart, Lisa Meeks

Audio Engineer: Jacob Feeman

Transcript: Episode 23 Transcript

Release: 2026

Keywords:

Political Disclosure

Disability Disclosure

Disability Epistemologies

Episode 22: Preparing to Thrive: Supporting Learners With Disabilities Through the Undergraduate-to-Graduate Medical Education Transition

Collection IV: Policies towards Disability Inclusivity in the Health Sciences.

Article or Publication discussed: "Preparing to Thrive: Supporting Learners With Disabilities Through the Undergraduate-to-Graduate Medical Education Transition"

Authors: Zoie Sheets, Maureen Fausone, Anne Messman, Pilar Ortega, Jessica Ramsay, Megan Creasman, and Nalinda Charnsangavej

Citation: Sheets, Zoie C., Maureen Fausone, Anne Messman, et al. "Preparing to Thrive: Supporting Learners With Disabilities Through the Undergraduate-to-Graduate Medical Education Transition." Academic Medicine 100, no. 10S (2025): S161. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000006136.

Description: This episode explores concrete strategies for supporting disabled medical students as they navigate the critical transition from medical school to residency. The authors organize their recommendations across four key areas: disability disclosure, specialty selection, program selection, and requesting accommodations in graduate medical education. The episode describes the vital roles that faculty mentors, Disability Resource Professionals (DRPs), UME institutions, GME programs, and accrediting bodies each play in creating environments where disabled learners can thrive.

Producer: Zoey Martin Lockhart, Lisa Meeks

Audio Engineer: Jacob Feeman

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n_6VUQr0mwmQHOPBgUXU3qJhKHQGyiztVGFUa-kef2E/edit?usp=sharing

Keywords:

Residency

Graduate Medical Education

Disability Resource Professionals

Episode 21:

Collection IV: policies towards disability inclusivity in the health sciences.

Article or Publication discussed:

Authors: Liz Bowen, Emily Cleveland-Manchanda, Peppar E.P. Cyr, Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, Susan Havercamp, Kristi Kirschner, Rebecca Kronk, Lisa M. Meeks, Peter Poullos, Zoie Clarise Sheets, Dorothy W. Tolchin, Stephanie Pham Van, Silvia Yee, and Erik Parens

Citation: Bowen, Liz, Emily Cleveland-Manchanda, Peppar E.P. Cyr, et al. "Anti-Ableist Medical Education: Meeting the Challenges." The Hastings Center. Issue Brief, 2024 https://www.thehastingscenter.org/anti-ableist-medical-education-meeting-the-challenges/.

Description: The Hastings Center Issue Brief covered in this episode describes the challenges confronted by those seeking to implement anti-ableist, disability-specific education. Its specificity and realism when articulating barriers and suggesting solutions is refreshing. The tone is empathetic and practical. Sprinkled throughout the issue brief—perhaps more accurately described as a guide—are training, evaluation, and educational resources that, beyond providing immediately deployable content, are foundational examples of disability-inclusive achievements. Hopefully, these resources act as encouragement to disability educators and advocates in the pedagogical trenches.

Producer: Zoey Martin Lockhart, Lisa Meeks

Audio Engineer: Jacob Feeman

Transcript: Episode 21: "Anti-Ableism Medical Education: Meeting the Challenges"

Release: 2025

Keywords:

Anti-Ableism

Medical Education

Biopsychosocial model

Disability competencies

Clinical disability training