Reflections

Reflections on “Advancing Health Equity: Disability-Inclusive Practices for Transformative Health Science” presentation by Prof. Dr. Birgit Prodinger.

Written by School of OT Professor, Dr. Shanon Phelan

I recently had the opportunity to attend the presentation “Advancing Health Equity: Disability-Inclusive Practices for Transformative Health Science.” The session explored how disability-inclusion is fundamental to achieving equity in health care and challenged us to reflect deeply on our own professional practices and assumptions.

My own research explores inclusion, belonging, and justice through a critical disability studies lens, and I was honoured to introduce Prof. Dr. Birgit Prodinger for this year’s Kelly Bang Memorial Lecture. Prof. Dr. Prodinger and I first connected during our PhD studies at Western, and our paths have continued to intersect through our shared passion for advancing disability-inclusion within occupational therapy. Over the years, I have been inspired by the way she bridges rigorous research with advocacy and system-level change—always centring the rights and dignity of people in the disability community.

Prof. Dr. Prodinger’s framing of disability as a universal aspect of the human condition resonated deeply with my understanding of inclusion. She reminded us that disability is not a deficit but an inherent part of being human—something that connects rather than divides us. This perspective invites us to view interdependence and vulnerability as sources of strength and solidarity, reframing inclusion as a collective and relational responsibility rather than a matter of accommodation.

Her description of ableism as “the undiagnosed malady afflicting medicine” (Janz, 2009) was especially powerful. It illuminated how ableism operates through professional norms and what health care systems take for granted as “common sense.” Prof. Dr. Prodinger challenged us to examine how such assumptions define whose bodies and minds are valued. She reminded us that good intentions are insufficient; transformation requires deliberate critical reflection and systemic change.

Prof. Dr. Prodinger emphasized that achieving disability-inclusion demands strengthening the competencies of all health professionals. Embedding inclusion across education, practice, and research must be a shared professional commitment. Her discussion of the WHO Global Competency Standards for Health Workers on Disability-Inclusion* illustrated how integrating knowledge, skills, and attitudes grounded in human rights and lived experience can advance health equity and dismantle systemic ableism.

The presentation also invited reflection on how disability stigma and discrimination persist within health professional cultures. I was particularly struck by the data on health professionals who experience disability and the barriers they continue to face—especially within disciplines that claim expertise in accessibility and inclusion. Prof. Dr. Prodinger’s insistence that inclusion must also extend inward, reshaping how our professions value and support colleagues with disabilities, was a powerful call for epistemic reflexivity and cultural change.

Her challenge to reconsider who defines quality of life underscored the ethical dimensions of inclusion. Too often, notions of “good health” and “independence” are defined by those without lived experience of disability. As occupational therapists, we have a responsibility to co-construct meaning with individuals and communities, ensuring that our practices reflect their realities and aspirations rather than imposed standards.

For occupational therapy, this means preparing students not only to adapt occupations and environments, but to actively dismantle barriers, interrogate power relations, and challenge ableist assumptions within systems and practices. A human rights approach to OT education places equity and inclusion at the centre of our professional identity. Prof. Dr. Prodinger’s example of co-created curricula at the University of Augsburg—developed in partnership with the disability community—exemplifies what it means to teach for transformation rather than simply about it.

This lecture powerfully affirmed that health equity is inseparable from disability rights and inclusion. It echoed Kelly Bang’s legacy of advocacy and creativity by calling on us to see inclusion not as optional, but as foundational to justice. It also reminded us that realizing this vision requires an epistemic commitment to dismantling ableism within our professional cultures and philosophies of practice.  As we move forward, a critical role for occupational therapists, educators, and researchers is to meaningfully partner with the disability community to (re)build systems that affirm and advance disability-inclusive, equitable health care.
 
*WHO Health equity for persons with disabilities: Guide for action information sheet