Anti-Ableism in Clinical Ethics Consultation

Abstract: Clinical ethics consultants (CECs) are uniquely positioned to address inequities and biases in patient care and healthcare systems related to ableism. But they are not always attuned to recognize or respond to ableism, and those who do respond often encounter institutional and interpersonal resistance. This panel will identify common manifestations of ableism in the practice of clinical ethics consultation, as well as offer strategies for intervening and making constructive contributions. The panelists, a group of disabled and nondisabled CECs experienced in the work of anti-ableism, will draw from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, geographic regions, and career stages to offer practical discussions of what has worked (and what hasn’t) when challenging ableism in clinical encounters, policymaking, and the culture of clinical ethics itself. The first panelist, a clinical/community psychologist and CEC who has worked on three continents, will draw on clinical examples to consider how implicit and explicit assumptions about disability are framed during ethics consultations. The second panelist, a philosopher who has worked as a clinical ethicist in several institutional settings and US regions, will suggest strategies for interrogating clinical conversations and hospital policies that are susceptible to ableist biases. The third panelist, a theologian and CEC, will discuss working with disability organizations as stakeholders in clinical ethics consultation and policy development. The fourth panelist, a CEC trained in literature and health humanities, will discuss opportunities and barriers for responding to manifestations of ableism that involve complex multi-institutional and intersectional dimensions, inviting reimaginings of the typical purview of the CEC.