Additional Resources

Below is a list of additional resources that provide further insight into the history, ethics, and current-day issues related to disability and healthcare.

History of Institutionalization in Canada

• White Coat Black Art Podcast: From Victims to Advocates by Dr. Brian Goldman.

• Interview with Leilani Muir describing her experiences as mentioned in Chapter 1

• Truths of Institutionalization: Past and Present.

  • 6 interactive modules outlining the historical timeline to current day of institutionalization of people with disabilities in Canada with political and social context.

• Invisible Institutions Podcast

  • A documentary podcast exploring past and present institutions in Canada for disabled individuals.

Disability Ethics

• Ashley Treatment: Permanent Infantilizing vs Improving Quality of Life

  • A 6-year-old, Ashley X with severe developmental disabilities in Seattle was physically shortened and sterilized to make it easier for her parents to care for her.

• Harnacke, Caroline. “The Ashley Treatment: Improving Quality of Life or Infringing Dignity and Rights?” Bioethics. 30.3 (2016): 141–50.

• Tracey Latimer: Mercy or Murder. A 12-year-old with severe Cerebral Palsy in Saskatchewan was murdered by her father in the 1990s to relieve her suffering.

Current-day Resources

• Bird's Eye View: Stories of a Life Lived in Health Care by Sue Robins

  • A book of stories of lived experience with the Canadian healthcare system for both herself as a patient and as a parent of a disabled child. It is targeted toward medical professionals and has heavily inspired our journey to creating medical student-specific resources.

• The Minority Body: A Theory of Disability by Elizabeth Barnes

• My Leaky Body: Tales from the Gurney by Julie Devaney

  • A medical memoir and an award-winning novel about a woman’s experience with ulcerative colitis exploring themes of invisible disability and ableism in healthcare in Canada.

• Locked In Locked Out by Dr. Shawn Jennings

  • A Dalhousie Medicine graduate working 20 years as a busy family physician until he suffered a brainstem stroke leaving him unable to move, speak, smile, or feed himself. He wrote a book about his disability experience going from physician to patient.

• Gault MA, Raha SS, Newell C. Perception of disability as a barrier for Canadian medical students. Can Fam Physician. 2020;66(3):169-71

  • Reflect about ableism toward colleagues with disabilities as well. We reference this article about perception of disability as a barrier for Canadian medical students.

• Collier R. Accessibility to physician offices a “significant problem”. CMAJ. 2016;188(11):793. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.109-5289

• Surrey Place has a “Decision Making in Health Care of Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities” document as well as a variety of primary care-focused disability-specific guidelines. Surrey Place

• White Coat Black Art Podcast: Toronto pregnancy clinic supports women with disabilities by Dr. Brian Goldman