With a view to provide better healthcare to persons with disabilities, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS), Nashik, started a multi-institutional collaborative programme to train healthcare professionals in treating the disabled. The path-breaking initiative, titled ‘Disability Inclusive Compassionate Care 2.0’, aims at equipping teachers of its affiliated colleges with innovative skills for effective disability education of future healthcare professionals. The collaborating institutions include University of Chicago, iHEAR Sangath, Bhopal; the University College of Medical Sciences, Delhi, and the Kasturba Medical College, Manipal. Despite the fact that one in six persons across the world is a person with disabilities, there is a surprising lack of awareness and sensitivity among medical graduates about disability-inclusive healthcare. Based on earlier work in the Disability Inclusive Compassionate Care (DICC) 1.0 project phase, by Dr Satendra Singh, Professor at University College of Medical Sciences and a medical educator with disability, and Dr Kamala Cotts, MD, from University of Chicago, the National Medical Commission, India, has mandated the teaching of disability in medical education. However, implementation has been slow due to lack of proper training and resources.

 

Lt Gen (Retd) Dr Madhuri Kanitkar said, “The project builds upon the first phase of the project, that identified several disability competencies that all medical undergraduates should learn and practise. We hope to take the success of the previous phase forward in a very strategic and systematic way using innovative teaching learning competencies. The strongest feature of this workshop that aligns us for success is the collaborating institutions, which is a true confluence, where NGOs, medical professionals and like-minded people have come together from across the globe.” At the very core of this progressive project is the belief that lived experience is expertise, and that persons with disabilities must be at the forefront and involved in understanding and responding to their health needs. The creative approaches adopted by the trainers on the experiences of persons with disabilities. The facilitators’ inspiring sessions during the orientation webinar demonstrated that the health humanities can be powerful tools to enact changes in attitude and understanding.