Advancing Disability Equity and Inclusion in Undergraduate Medical Education: Proceedings From the Access in Medicine Summit.

Abstract

Abstract: The Access in Medicine (AIM) Summit, held in April 2024, convened 60 delegates from across the United States to generate practicable solutions for dismantling accessibility barriers in medical education. These proceedings outline the Summit's objective and present the resulting insights and actionable recommendations. The Summit featured an innovative design that engaged diverse delegates in collaborative, idea-generating activities that elevated the lived experiences of learners with disabilities. Inspired by guiding principles of social justice and accessibility, delegates recommended a bundle of action-oriented strategies for addressing social and structural barriers to disability equity and inclusion. The proposed action steps identified critical intervention points that span the continuum of undergraduate medical education (UME), from improving support of disabled learners in recruitment and admissions processes through to their residency application and post-graduation transition stages. Though medical education was the AIM Summit focus, delegates emphasized the generalizability of themes to broad training contexts (e.g., residency and other health professions education training), both in the socio-structural challenges they confronted and in the solutions they proposed. These proceedings highlight the vital steps necessary to build more equitable and inclusive learning environments for learners with disabilities.