Disability Summit Special Issue Part I - Spring 2025
The Advancing Accessibility and Disability Equity Summit: An Introduction and Reflection on Key Take-Aways
In her introduction to this special issue, Amanda Sharp, PT, DPT, PhD, presents a detailed report of how the Advancing Accessibility and Disability Equity Summit was envisioned and then brought to fruition. Sharp presents a day-by-day account of the Summit’s presentations, panel discussions, roundtables, and more. Her detailed recounting of the event offers a blueprint for other educators and practitioners seeking to develop their own forums on disability and inclusion. “All are invited to reconsider disability within and external to physical therapy,” she states.
We Are No Longer Alone: Student Panelist Reflections on the Advancing Accessibility and Disability Equity Summit
In a vibrant panel discussion on Day One of the Summit, five DPT students with disabilities presented their lived experiences in telling, poignant detail. Attendees later agreed this panel was the “pinnacle of the day.” In this article, the students note the effect their participation had on their own hearts and minds as well; their words show a renewed sense of hope and purpose. “This was a real meeting of the minds to solve the issues blocking the accessibility of our profession,” one author says. “I quickly began taking notes on these topics to take back to my program.”
Special Issue Editorial: An Invitation to Reorient and Re-imagine
In her editorial, Sarah Caston, PT, DPT, lays the groundwork for this special JHR issue and the importance of disability inclusion and equitable access within the rehabilitation profession. She argues that inclusiveness and justice are not inherent to caring professions and that clinicians and educators should seek spaces that encourage curiosity and vulnerability. She provides readers with action steps to “inspire[s] the moral courage needed to continue the vital and necessary work of caring for each other.”
Forging a New Future
While exploring the ongoing effects of disability on students, clinicians, and patients alike was a key aspect of the Summit, another crucial takeaway for attendees was a reference list offering guidance on moving forward. How do we improve our efforts to create equity of access, inclusion, and anti-ableism? In this introduction, Deana Herrman, PT, PhD, honors the groundbreaking work of disability rights activist Judy Heumann, and notes a good place to begin is with her book, Being Heumann. Along with co-authors, Sarah Caston PT, DPT and Priyanka Bhakta PT, DPT, she has created a list that offers a variety of self-education materials. “It is never too late to start, and it is always okay to keep learning, recognize when we don’t know enough, and strive to do better—for the future,” Herrman concludes.