On Wednesday, September 9, Operation House Call (OHC) brought our lived-experience curriculum to first-year medical students at UMass Chan Medical School. Students learned about health disparities and access barriers, as well as practical communication strategies, accommodations, and the importance of partnering with patients and caregivers.
Parent instructors Betsy Johnson and Ashley Waring and co-teachers Sydney Brooks and Dee Cotter helped students develop a deeper understanding of the experiences of families and people with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
OHC’s curriculum helps future healthcare providers understand how their own attitudes and assumptions can affect care. By learning directly from individuals with disabilities and their families, students gain new perspectives on implicit bias, diagnostic overshadowing, and the importance of creating inclusive clinical spaces.
This classroom experience is the first step in a learning journey that continues with OHC’s family home visits, where students can deepen their understanding through meaningful, real-world connections.
