Watertown Commission on Disability

A posting from the Disability Policy Consortium
Health Care Accessibility (Or Lack Thereof) – Share Your Story!

Are you a person with a disability who has trouble accessing health care due to inaccessible equipment and architectural barriers or received poor care because of your disability? If so, we want to hear from you!

Have you ever gone to a hospital or a doctor’s office for a test only to find there is no way to get onto the examining table? Or, do you always bring a PCA or loved one to help you transfer because there are no other options?
Have you ever had a medical professional talk to your PCA or family member instead of you?
Have you ever been assigned an inaccessible in-patient room?
Have you had to go long periods of time without being weighed because your hospital or doctor’s office does not have an accessible scale?
Have you been denied or had difficulty getting adequate communication access, such as an ASL interpreter or CART?
Have you been unable to have X-Rays or MRIs or routine exams for breast and colon cancer because of inaccessible equipment?
Have you been denied access to information in an alternate format?
Have you encountered exam rooms that are too small to accommodate you because of your wheelchair?
When hospitalized, have you encountered a lack of accessible bathrooms or not been able to receive prompt assistance with eating and repositioning?

The DPC is undertaking a project to document disparities in health care. As this investigation continues we hope to be as inclusive as possible with the end goal of obtaining accessible, high quality health care for individuals with a variety of disabilities.

If you are a person with a disability who is interested in being interviewed about barriers you have encountered at hospitals and their outpatient locations, please contact the DPC at 617-542-3522 or rpowell@dpcma.org. All interviews are confidential and no information will be shared without the interviewee’s permission.