Physicians have disabilities too: New research calls for a more accessible medical workforce

Reducing barriers, increasing support important for diverse, healthy physician workforce in Canada

New research indicates that 5% of practicing physicians report a disability “always/often” and another 12% report disability “sometimes”, leading for the authors to call for action on improving accessibility to ensure equity and sustainability in the physician workforce. The study is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

“Physicians with disabilities frequently face discrimination, inaccessible workplaces, and inadequate support,” writes Dr. Michael Quon, a general internal medicine specialist and clinician investigator at The Ottawa Hospital, and an assistant professor, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, with coauthors. “Improving accessibility in medicine is an important consideration to improve health equity. Failure to retain physicians with disabilities in the workforce risks losing skilled providers with valuable perspectives and has negative impacts on human health resources.”

The study, based on data from the 2021 Canadian long-form census, helps fill an important gap in evidence about the prevalence of disability and demographics in practicing physicians. Unlike other studies which were voluntary, the census is mandatory with a 97% completion rate by a randomly selected 25% of the Canadian population, making this study nationally representative.

The most commonly reported disability was mental health (40%) followed by visual (37%), hearing (15%), mobility/physical (13%) and cognitive/learning (6%). Disabilities were more common in women (6.0%) compared to men (4.5%).

The authors note that younger age does not preclude disability.

“While disability rates generally increased with age, the prevalence in physicians younger than 35 years remained notable (5.18%),” says Dr. Quon. “The prevalence of hearing, mobility and physical disabilities increased with age, while mental health disabilities were more common in younger age groups.”

Physicians report fewer disabilities compared with other professions such as law, academia, engineering, nursing as well as the general workforce.  

The authors emphasize that supporting physicians with disabilities is important for Canada’s health system.

“Physicians with disabilities are an important yet often overlooked contributor to workforce diversity,” write the authors. “Ensuring accessible work environments and equitable policies can promote the wellbeing and retention of physicians with disabilities and support those seeking to return to practice. Beyond benefits to the physicians themselves, advancing accessibility might enhance patient care by fostering a workforce that better reflects the populations it serves.” 

Full reference: “Prevalence and characteristics of disabilities in physicians in Canada; an analysis of Canadian census data.” CMAJ. DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.260075. October 13, 2026.