The Gateways Disability Project

The General Medical Council joined 11 medical schools to develop guidance on encouraging people with disabilities into medicine. This project was match-funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills scheme Gateways to the Professions, which is designed to encourage a wider range of young people to consider pursuing a professional career.

The objective was to develop advice for medical schools on supporting disabled students into medicine and retaining them within the profession.

View the guidance

The guidance was published on 28 March 2008.

View the Gateways guidance (opens in a new window).

Background to developing the guidance

As part of the process to develop the guidance, the GMC and its Gateways partners held a conference called Supporting Medical Students with Disabilities: A Consultative Conference.

You can view excerpts from some of the key speeches made at the conference below.

Kirsty Houston

Kirsty has been deaf since birth. She is studying medicine at Cambridge University.

• View Kirsty Houston’s speech
• Transcript of Kirsty Houston’s speech (27kb, pdf)

 

 

Dr Rhianwen Stiff

Dr Rhianwen Stiff is a blind doctor who works for the National Public Health Service in Wales.

• View Dr Rhianwen Stiff’s speech
• Transcript of Dr Rhianwen Stiff’s speech (27kb, pdf)

 

 

Barbara Waters

Barbara Waters is the Chief Executive of Skill: the National Bureau for Students with disabilities.

• View Barbara Waters’ speech
• Transcript of Barbara Waters’ speech (25kb, pdf)

 

 

Michael Woodman

Michael Woodman is the Disabilities Co-ordinator at St George’s Medical School in London.

• View Michael Woodman’s speech
• Transcript of Michael Woodman’s speech (25kb, pdf)

 

 

Saba Jaleel

Saba Jaleel was diagnosed with epilepsy two weeks before she was due to start her medical degree at Southampton University, where she is now a student.

• View Saba Jaleel’s speech
• Transcript of Saba Jaleel’s speech (25kb, pdf)

 

 

Our Gateways partners

The medical schools that have joined with the GMC to develop this guidance are:

• St George's Hospital Medical School
• University of Newcastle upon Tyne
• University of Leeds
• Hull York Medical School
• Brighton and Sussex Medical School
• University of Southampton
• University of East Anglia
• King's College London
• University of Sheffield
• University of Glasgow
• Cambridge Medical School