Clinical neuropsychology is a specialty within the field of clinical psychology which aims to understand brain-behavior relationships. Neuropsychologists assess neurological functioning, characterize cognitive and behavioral strengths and weaknesses, and utilize the resulting information to guide differential diagnoses and provide recommendations for support and treatment options. Neuropsychological assessment can be an extraordinarily beneficial resource for people with a wide array of disabilities because it can provide them with recommendations for steps to take to get the support they need, and it can help them understand the ways in which their disability manifests in their life and how they can mitigate any resultant negative effects. Consequently, I view the field of clinical neuropsychology and the topic of disability as being fundamentally, intrinsically linked. The implications of this claim suggest that clinical neuropsychologists must become better acquainted with disability rights and the disability community. Clinical psychology doctoral training programs should undergo a significant revamp, wherein they become more attuned to issues of disability and its close relationship with neuropsychology and begin to actively work to include disability in their curriculum and training in order to prepare future clinical neuropsychologists to serve such a diverse population. In addition, neuropsychological measures themselves should be altered so that they represent the abilities of real-world people and are useful for the assessment of a wide range of individuals. Finally, the structure and nature of the field of clinical neuropsychology must be adjusted broadly in order to provide ethical and effective services to individuals with disabilities.

Kelsey King would like to thank their faculty sponsor Dr. Harold Braswell for their support of this project.