Studies show that harmful attitudes towards disability are pervasive in healthcare, but how did we get here? What is the origin of medicine’s conceptions of health and the human body? This talk will explore how movements in history have shaped current practices in medicine, as well as strategies for engaging in transformative clinical practice and promoting disability justice in healthcare. 

The Past is Always With Us: The Roots of Ableism in Medicine and the Future of Transformative Clinical Practice

Danielle (Dan) Rydstedt is a PhD candidate in the interdisciplinary Social Dimensions of Health program at the University of Victoria. While completing their master’s degree at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, they engaged in initiatives to educate service providers about disability justice. With a background in nursing and public health, they sought out a pathway to learn from and work with interdisciplinary scholars to deepen their study of the complex issues surrounding disability rights in health systems. Their focus is on emancipatory research, addressing the oppressive structures that are historically embedded in scientific research. They endeavor to help create more equitable health research that is led by impacted communities.