DOCS WITH DISABILITES
INITIATIVE

The Disability Resource Professional (DRP) Academy is a highly focused, hybrid professional development experience for disability resource professionals seeking expertise in medical education. It is a program under the Docs With Disabilities initiative and is funded, in part, through a grant from the Ford Foundation and support from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the Coalition for Disability Access in Health Science Programs.
INFORMATION for the 2024 ACADEMY
Coming Soon
In its inaugural year, the academy will be offered tuition free and will include one year of post academy mentoring.
OVERVIEW
Key Highlights
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Engage with 20 DRP's from around the country
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Receive protected time to prepare for the academy
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Receive 1-year of mentoring
Eligibility Requirements
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DRP experience in medicine or health sciences
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Endorsement from school of medicine leadership
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Ability to participate in all online pre-meetings and in-person academy in February
Academy Attendees
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20 DRPs that work in medical education and that represent diversity in school, degree program, disability resource experience and personal characteristics will be chosen to attend the 2023 DRP Academy
RESOURCES for EDUCATION
Tuition Based Opportunities:
AHEAD MANAGEMENT COURSES
AHEAD will be holding its annual Management Institutes January 26-28, 2023, in sunny San Diego California! This year’s tracks include “An Introduction to Managing Accommodations for Students in Health Science Programs.” The Management Institutes are a two-and-a-half-day experience. Days One and Two provide a deep dive into one topic, and a shorter Day Three offers participants an opportunity to sample the information offered in the other tracks through shorter talks given by the presenters of other topics. The two-day Health Science Track will address professional programs as well as two-year and certificate programs, and cover items such as:
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A practical overview of disability laws and how they apply to the health sciences, with attention to how disability laws relate to health science clinical settings;
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An understanding of the interactive process that occurs between disability professionals, faculty, staff, and the student when determining reasonable accommodations in clinical and lab environments (such as fieldwork, internships, clerkships, preceptorships, etc., as well as OSCEs, sim labs, cadaver labs, etc.);
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Information on how to identify when a potential accommodation may affect the integrity of the learning outcomes, compromise patient safety, or challenge technical standards;
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An appreciation of the importance of giving prospective, recently admitted, and enrolled students clear, written policies and procedures;
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Tips for developing clear processes for faculty and staff;
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Ideas for working with students and faculty to improve communication around disability-related needs and implementing accommodations;
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Skills for faculty interactions, including addressing common concerns about patient safety, essential requirements, and technical standards; and advising faculty and administrators who may instinctively slip from the role of faculty into their roles as health care providers when working with students with disabilities.
Registration will open in October. All registration information will be provided at the above link.
UPCOMING WEBINAR
Supporting Student Accommodation Requests for Boards, Bar Exams, Licensing, Entrance Exams, and Other High Stakes Gateway Tests
Tuesday, November 15, 2-3:30 Eastern
Lisa Noshay Petro, UC Hastings College of the Law
Grace Clifford, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Although students may already receive accommodations in the educational environment, they frequently must apply separately for accommodations from third party testing agencies. These exams may make or break a student’s academic and professional career, so ensuring they have appropriate accommodations is essential, but how can we prepare students to submit their best application and support them through the process? This webinar will be presented by two practitioners with extensive experience supporting students in fields including law, education, social work, medicine, and other health science programs (OT, PT, PA, Nursing, etc.). The session will provide an overview of the application process, how applications are typically reviewed by testing entities, what data students should submit to support their requests, and how to handle appeals if the request is denied. Plenty of time will be reserved for Q&A.
No-Cost Opportunities:
Disability Webinar Series AAMC
Free AMA Webinar: Removing Barriers and Facilitating Access: Supporting Trainees with Disabilities Across the Medical Education Continuum
Free Macy Foundation Webinars: Exploring the Barriers to Inclusion for Medical Trainees with Disabilities Webinar Series
APPLICATION ITEMS
Applications are closed for the 2023 Cohort. Look for updated applications in April of 2023 for the 2024 class

Jan Serrantino, EdD
Advisory Committee
Executive Team

Grace Clifford, M.Ed
Advisory Committee
Lead Instructor
Co-Lead Curriculum Developer

Barbara Blacklock, M.Ed
Advisory Committee

Jaime Axelrod, MS
Executive Team
The TEAM

Emily Magee
Instructor

Matthew Sullivan
Co-Lead Curriculum Developer

Jen Gossett
Instructor

Sue Nahm
Instructor