Is It My Responsibility? Professional Organizations' Perspectives on Disability Inclusion in Health Professions...

Disabled healthcare professionals offer valuable expertise yet face systemic barriers in education and practice. This study explores perspectives of professional organizations on the inclusion of students (SRA) and practitioners (PRA) requiring accommodations in health and human service (HHS) professions.

Using an exploratory qualitative design framed within a critical disability studies lens, 28 representatives from professional organizations across 10 HHS professions in Canada participated in semistructured interviews. Data were analysed to identify key themes related to their perceived roles and perspectives on challenges faced by SRA/PRA, and how organizational policies impact inclusion.

Three key themes highlighted the multilayered challenges of acknowledging and supporting SRA/PRA: (1) We do not know what we do not know; (2) not our responsibility; and (3) between a rock and a hard place. Many participants reported that this study marked the first time they had explicitly considered SRA/PRA within their organizational mandate, a foundational finding underpinning all three themes. Findings revealed limited awareness of SRA/PRA needs and experiences within organizational structure, uncertainty about their responsibility for addressing accessibility, often in favour of public protection or professional standards, and systemic obstacles constraining their ability to implement inclusive policies.

Inclusion of SRA/PRA represents a 'wicked problem': While equity and inclusion are already embedded in many professional mandates, tacit ableist discourses constrain the agency of professional organization representatives and perpetuate the systemic marginalization of SRA/PRA in HHS professions. Results provide insights and recommendations for dismantling these barriers and promoting equitable and accessible pathways into and through HHS education and practice.