Access in Nursing Education: The Interactive Process for Determining Disability Accommodations.

Abstract

Nurses with disabilities provide unique perspectives to the nursing field because of their lived experiences as patients and workforce members of the health-care system. Although there is potential to enhance workforce diversity by including nurses with disabilities, barriers to inclusion in nursing education persist. This article aims to address these issues through three mechanisms: clarifying the interactive process for determining accommodations; defining the roles of disability resource professionals, students, and faculty in the accommodations request process; and highlighting the importance of a legally grounded and collaborative approach to accessibility. Promoting access for disabled nursing students requires challenging widespread ableist misconceptions, adopting inclusive teaching strategies, creating proactive policies, developing well-informed faculty, and cultivating an institutional culture that recognizes disability as an essential dimension of diversity. By strengthening these aspects, nursing education can support the full participation of disabled students and ensure a more inclusive and effective health-care workforce.