The following resources are helpful to schools of nursing looking to accommodate students with disabilities. Please send additional resources for posting to rrosseter@@aacnnursing.org.
White Paper on Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in Nursing Educational Programs
University of Illinois Chicago and Rush University
National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities
NOND's website includes helpful resources and links for nurse educators.
ODEP/NOND Alliance
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities (NOND) recognize the value of establishing a collaborative relationship to promote the employment of people with disabilities in the healthcare industry. ODEP and NOND hereby form an Alliance to conduct outreach, education and technical assistance activities that promote the recruitment, hiring, retention and advancement of individuals with disabilities, including veterans with disabilities, in the healthcare sector.
WellBeing First Champions Challenge
Eliminate unnecessary and discriminatory questions about mental health that deter nurses from seeking care. Remove Intrusive Mental Health Questions from Licensure and Credentialing Applications
Remove Intrusive Mental Health Questions from Licensure and Credentialing Applications A Toolkit to Audit, Change, and Communicate
Technical Standards
Admission, Academic Progression, and Graduation
Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions
Aligning Technical Standards with 21st Century Medical Education
Free Webinar from the Association of American Medical Colleges
Barriers and Belief Systems Webinar Series: Exploring the Barriers to Inclusion for Nurses with Disabilities
3-part webinar series exploring the barriers to inclusion for nurses with disabilities hosted by Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, Docs with Disabilities Initiative, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, and Johns Hopkins University Disability Health Research Center.
Nursing School Admission
University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Sciences
Healthcare Careers for Nurses with Disability
Careers in Healthcare - Employer Roundtable, April 6, 2023
Presented by the CA Transition Alliance, CA Department of Rehabilitation, and National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities (NOND) and hosted by the Great Lakes ADA Center.
Eileen “Leenie” Quinn, Nursing Skills with One Hand - Demonstration by Leenie Quinn, BSN, RN, NOND Director
How to Insert an IV
Administration of IM Injection
Administration of S/Q Injection
Nurse Andrea Never Gives Up On Her Dream Despite Her Disability - Andrea Dalzell, one of the first registered nurses in NYC who uses a wheelchair. She advocates for others with disabilities to get into the healthcare field and most recently was awarded the inaugural Craig H. Neilson Visionary Prize for her work.
Open the Door, Get ‘Em a Locker: Educating Nursing Students with Disabilities. Evans, B.C. & Marks, B. (2009).
Chronicles the experience of a nursing student, Victoria Christensen, who entered a baccalaureate program using a wheelchair. Explores roles and responsibilities in nursing education, experiential learning, shifting perspectives, and being a part of old ways turning into new ways in the world of nursing
Journal Articles and Books
Bagenstos, S.R. (2016, October). Technical standards and lawsuits involving accommodations for health professions students. AMA Journal of Ethics, 18(10), 1010-1016.
Bauman, H-D. L., & Murray, J. J. (Eds.). (2014). Deaf gain: Raising the stakes for human diversity. Univ of Minnesota Press. https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/deaf-gain.
Boatright, D., Nguyen, M., Hill, K., et al. (2024). Development of a Tool to Measure Student Perceptions of Equity and Inclusion in Medical Schools. JAMA Network Open, 7(2):e240001. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.0001
Curry, R.H., Meeks, L.M., & Iezzoni, L.I. (2020, December). Beyond technical standards: A competency-based framework for access and inclusion in medical education. Academic Medicine, 95(12S), S109-12.
Dupler, A.E., Allen, C.B., Mahaedy, D., Fleming, S., & Allen, M.J. (2012, March). Leveling the playing field for nursing students with disabilities: Implications of the amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Journal of Nursing Education, 51(3), 140-144.
Jones, Robin. (2013, March). ADA Amendments Act and Accommodations, Great Lakes ADA Center. www.adagreatlakes.org/.
Mack, T., Stephens, L., & Epstein, I. (2021). Removing Ableist Barriers in Nursing Education: Clinical Essential Requirements. Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, 10(3), 147–176. https://doi.org/10.15353/cjds.v10i3.820
Marks, B. (2007). Cultural Competence Revisited: Nursing Students with Disabilities. Journal of Nursing Education, 46(2), 70-74.
Marks, B., Sisirak, J., (September 30, 2022). Nurses with Disability: Transforming Healthcare for All, OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. 27, No. 3, Manuscript 4. DOI: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol27No03Man04.
Marks, B & Ailey, S. A. (2014) White Paper on Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in Nursing Educational Programs. Sacramento, CA: California Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities (CCEPD).
Marks, B., & Mcculloh, K. (2016). Success for Students and Nurses With Disabilities. Nurse Educator, 41(1), 9-12.
Meeks, L.M., Jain, N.R., Laird, E.P. (2020). Equal Access for Students with Disabilities: The Guide for Health Science and Professional Education. Springer Publishing Company.
Meeks, L.M. & Neal-Boylan, L. (2020). Disability as Diversity. Springer International Publishing.
Melnyk, B. M., Holod, A. F., Hsieh, A. P., & Feist, J. C. (2023). An audit of mental health questions on U.S. nursing licensure applications: Evidence to guide urgent action for change. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 20, 422–430. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12680
Neal-Boylan, L., Miller, M., & Bell, J. (2018). Building Academic Communities to Support Nursing Students with Disabilities: An Integrative Review. Building Healthy Academic Communities, 2(1), DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18061/bhac.v2i1.6342.
Neal-Boylan L. (2020). Commentary: Nursing Students with Disabilities: Technical Standards Revisited. Rehabilitation nursing: The official journal of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses, 45(6), 321–322. https://doi.org/10.1097/RNJ.0000000000000296
Neal-Boylan, L. & Miller, M. (2017). Treat me like everyone else: The experience of nurses who had disabilities while in school. Nurse Educator. DOI: 10.1097/NNE.0000000000000348
Neal-Boylan, L. J., & Guillett, S. E. (2008). Nurses with disabilities: Can changing our educational system keep them in nursing? Nurse Educator, 33(4), 1-4.
Valuing Diversity in Nursing - Transforming Nursing with Short Films and Demonstration Videos
Danielle, a Nurse with a Disability - discusses discrimination, accommodations, being a role model, providing nursing care
Justina Miles, Deaf Nursing Student and Performer - "Paving the way" for deaf people to become nurses and ensure access to healthcare for deaf people in healthcare settings Ms. Miles’ sign interpretation and how it relates so closely to the voice/singing demonstrates a type of understanding that is often not represented in typical healthcare interactions. - watch her CBS and Entertainment Tonight interviews