Experiences of disabled health and caring professionals

The widespread discrimination against disabled people in most types of employment is well known. It would seem likely, therefore, that disabled people would find it difficult to gain access to the health and caring professions, although many people have argued that their personal experience of disability would be an invaluable asset to the professions and patients alike. By means of semi-structured interviews this study aimed to gain insight into the experiences of people who had been accepted into the health and caring professions despite having a substantial disability. Although most respondents reported either positive or neutral attitudes from colleagues, a sizeable minority had experienced negative attitudes, especially when trying to gain access to training and during training itself. Negative attitudes from patients and clients were, in contrast, exceptionally rare. Most respondents viewed their disability as an advantage rather than a disadvantage in the work context, and although some people were restricted in the specialties they could follow, most could fulfil all of their work obligations.