These Doctors Admit They Don’t Want Patients With Disabilities

When granted anonymity in focus groups, physicians let their guards down and shared opinions consistent with experiences of many people with disabilities.

For a quarter of a century, Dr. Lisa Iezzoni, a professor of medicine at Harvard, has heard the same story during research with hundreds of people who have disabilities: Health care that was substandard. Medical offices that were not accessible. Doctors who did not treat them with respect.

“Everywhere I looked, there were disparities,” Dr. Iezzoni said. Yet, what patients told her was no surprise, given her own experiences with multiple sclerosis and using a wheelchair.

It was time for the next step.

Read this great article by Gina Kolata in the New York Times.