The Utopia of Disability Inclusion in the Rehabilitation Sciences An Insider's Perspective

The inclusion of people with disabilities has historically been, and continues to be, challenging work. In the health professions, the practice of inclusion should promote and advance the dissemination of efforts to decrease the impact of societal and physical barriers on the lives of people with disability, as well as promote innovative approaches to effectively foster an inclusive society. In addition to a focus on concepts such as the intact abilities of people with disabilities and the facilitation of community participation, an important shift in inclusion-related research requires listening to the lived experience of individuals with disabilities. Listening to their lived experiences and including the valuable insights gleaned from their insider's perspective can enrich efforts to evaluate clinical and educational programs, define population needs, and set research agendas and rehabilitation goals. Building on seminal work from Tamara Dembo, Beatrice Wright, and Margaret Brown, this communication from the Disability Representation Task Force at the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine also explores how healthcare providers living with a disability can make a significant contribution to rehabilitation treatment by analyzing how their own experience applies to clinical practice.