Prannv Dhawan, a visiting researcher at CSH Delhi, has co-authored an article titled “Assessment for Inclusion: Promoting Equity and Justice in Disability Assessment Boards in India” with Om Rathod, Satendra Singh and Rahul Bajaj. The article was published online first on February 21, 2025, in the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics. 

Abstract: This case study involves a successful medical aspirant with 88% mobility disability who was denied admission by the Disability Assessment Board (DAB). After failing to get relief from the High Court, the candidate challenged the decision in the Supreme Court. The Court ordered a reassessment by another DAB but found their approach — based on the medical model of disability — unsatisfactory. Consequently, the Court directed an independent functional competency assessment conducted by a doctor with a disability.

The new assessment adopted a human rights model of disability while offering opportunities such as simulation labs and detailed discussions on clinical accommodations to assess his abilities rather than focusing on his disability. The Supreme Court endorsed the ability-based assessment, critiqued the National Medical Commission’s guidelines, and ordered the candidate’s admission. Additionally, the Court directed the regulator to revise the existing guidelines, considering technological advancements, disability justice, and input from doctors with disabilities.

Keywords: reasonable accommodation, disability, undergraduate medical education, inclusive medicine, competency based medical education

The article is available at: DOI: https://doi.org/10.20529/IJME.2025.015