Statistics on the number of physicians with a disability who are practicing medicine are scarce. A study published in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, based on data from 1996, estimated that 0.2% of medical school graduates have disabilities.The article goes on to say:
Most physicians who are practicing with a disability acquired that disability during their career. Despite the enactment of the American with Disabilities Act in 1990, which prohibits discrimination against a qualified applicant who has disabilities, few students with disabilities enter the profession. In part, this is because medical students must be able to perform the essential functions of being a doctor, and each school determines for itself what these criteria are.We hope that in the near future, we will have more information so that we can have accurate statistics to reflect the number of physicians who have a disability.
You may wish to read this article from The University of Medicine and Health Sciences, St. Kitts titled, "Doctors & Diversity: Disability Issues and U.S. Laws in Medicine."
