During National Nurses Week, the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses’ (AMSN’s) Chicago Chapter #317, in collaboration with the Hektoen Institute’s Nurses and the Humanities program, hosted a powerful educational event entitled “The Synergy of Disability Rights, Disability Justice, and Radical Accessibility in Nursing Education and Practice.” The session featured Dr. Sabrina Ali Jamal-Eddine, PhD, RN, an Arab, disabled, queer, health humanities nurse scientist, spoken word poet, and nationally recognized disability justice scholar.

After Dr. Jamal-Eddine laid the foundation for her presentation with explanations of basic principles and terms commonly used in the disability justice community, she performed two of her original spoken word poems. As she shared memories of the physical and emotional pain she endured throughout her undergraduate nursing clinical experiences, she commanded the audience’s attention, and a gripping silence became noticeable. Despite her aspiration to work exclusively within nursing research, she had to fight repeatedly for accessibility and inclusion in the clinical setting. As someone with a seemingly “invisible disability,” she has been routinely forced to confront the implicit bias of others in nursing, the healthcare system, and everyday life as well. She spoke from her lived experience and challenged the audience to rethink assumptions about disability, language, and access. The audience was encouraged to think about how they, as nurses and humans, can support disability inclusion by making spaces more accessible, having a greater awareness of bias, and helping everyone feel like they truly belong.

In addition to being left with some incredible takeaways about disability justice, attendees also were eligible to earn continuing education credit for their participation, which was made possible by AMSN’s new Joint Provider Program. Through the Joint Provider Program, AMSN can award continuing education hours to professional development programming developed and hosted by non-accredited organizations. This program has the potential to improve access to accredited education and promote collaboration and engagement within the nursing community.

A special thanks to Aperion Care Lakeshore, who generously provided the space, and our speaker Dr. Jamal-Eddine, who reminded us that disability justice belongs in conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion. It was a meaningful and inspiring way to launch National Nurses Week — centered on inclusion, equity, and the power of storytelling.