Abstract
Nursing students with physical disabilities (NSWPD) face barriers in clinical learning including physical inaccessibility, lack of awareness or training in faculty and staff, and bias in professional evaluation (1-3). The project purpose was to directly identify barriers to clinical learning for NSWPD.
Method: Investigators developed an evidence-based assessment guide covering perceived challenges to accommodations for NSWD, stakeholder knowledge, and other issues (4-6). A university disability specialist (DS) was embedded with students in simulation laboratory and clinical sites in July-October 2025. The DS observed lectures, skills practice, patient encounter simulations, peer assessment, instructor-oversight assessment, patient interactions/duties, and other responsibilities.
Findings included differing knowledge and attitudes among students, faculty, and clinical staff about NSWPD; challenges adapting skills learned in laboratory to clinical settings; and concerns about disability disclosure. The DS noted potential for NSWPD difficulty with clinical systems and equipment, such as visual- and auditory-based alert systems and equipment requiring extended periods of standing.
Implications for nursing education include need for clarity in accommodation processes for NSWPD. Educational interventions for faculty and staff that address interpersonal and physical challenges may improve clinical learning for NSWPD.
Notes
References:
1. Wehman P, Sima AP, Fong C, Ham W, Junod P, Kanako I, et al. Assessing Attitudes of Hospital Staff Toward Working With Co-Workers With Disabilities: A Preliminary Study. Journal of Rehabilitation. 2020;86(4):14-21.
2. Marks, B., & Sisirak, J. (2022). Nurses with Disability: Transforming Healthcare for All. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 27(3).
3. Mack T, Stephens L, Epstein I. Removing Ableist Barriers in Nursing Education: Clinical Essential Requirements. CJDS [Internet]. 2021 Dec. 8 [cited 2025 Nov. 30];10(3):147-76. Available from: https://cjds.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cjds/article/view/820
4. Englund HM, Lancaster RJ. Differences in Marginality Between Nursing Students With and Without Disabilities. J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(8):429-38.
5. Lindsay S, Fuentes K, Ragunathan S, Lamaj L, Dyson J. Ableism within health care professions: a systematic review of the experiences and impact of discrimination against health care providers with disabilities. Disabil Rehabil. 2023;45(17):2715-31.
6. Epstein I, Khanlou N, Ermel RE, Sherk M, Simmonds KK, Balaquiao L, et al. Students Who Identify with a Disability and Instructors’ Experiences in Nursing Practice: a Scoping Review. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. 2021;19(1):91-118.
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Teaching and Learning Strategies, Health Equity or Social Determinants of Health, Workforce, Nursing Education, Nursing Students, Students with Disabilities
Recommended Citation
Burton, Candace W.; Sullivan, Kayla; and Silvestri-Elmore, Angela, "Accessibility in Clinical Learning: An Immersive Assessment Project" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 265.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/265
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-09-07
Accessibility in Clinical Learning: An Immersive Assessment Project
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Nursing students with physical disabilities (NSWPD) face barriers in clinical learning including physical inaccessibility, lack of awareness or training in faculty and staff, and bias in professional evaluation (1-3). The project purpose was to directly identify barriers to clinical learning for NSWPD.
Method: Investigators developed an evidence-based assessment guide covering perceived challenges to accommodations for NSWD, stakeholder knowledge, and other issues (4-6). A university disability specialist (DS) was embedded with students in simulation laboratory and clinical sites in July-October 2025. The DS observed lectures, skills practice, patient encounter simulations, peer assessment, instructor-oversight assessment, patient interactions/duties, and other responsibilities.
Findings included differing knowledge and attitudes among students, faculty, and clinical staff about NSWPD; challenges adapting skills learned in laboratory to clinical settings; and concerns about disability disclosure. The DS noted potential for NSWPD difficulty with clinical systems and equipment, such as visual- and auditory-based alert systems and equipment requiring extended periods of standing.
Implications for nursing education include need for clarity in accommodation processes for NSWPD. Educational interventions for faculty and staff that address interpersonal and physical challenges may improve clinical learning for NSWPD.
Description
Nursing is often perceived as a profession not suitable for those with physical disability. We report an immersive assessment of clinical learning environments for readiness to support nursing students with physical disabilities.