Professionalism and disabled clinicians: the client’s perspective

Disabled individuals are significantly underrepresented as care providers within the healthcare system. One of the institutional barriers are professional competencies established from an ableist viewpoint. We investigated the client’s perspectives on the professionalism of disabled clinicians. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with twenty-seven disabled and non-disabled participants. Participants were asked about their expectations and perceptions of professionalism from disabled clinicians. Three themes were identified: Positive impacts - highlighting the benefits of having disabled clinicians; As long as… - suggesting that professionalism should not be impacted provided that certain criteria are met; and to disclosure or not to disclose - providing rationale for and against disclosure of a disability to a client. Results challenge ableist beliefs about what constitutes professional behaviour and suggest that health professions should adopt a non-ableist appreciation for the contributions of disabled clinicians and foster the inclusion of disabled clinicians.