Navigating Disability in the Medical Field: A Conversation with Dr. Hannah Barham

Disabled and Proud

Brooke is joined by Dr. Hannah, a disabled and neurodivergent doctor, who shares her experiences with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and ADHD.

She discusses the challenges she faced in getting diagnosed with EDS and the lack of awareness and funding for the condition. Dr. Hannah also talks about her journey to getting diagnosed with ADHD and the impact it has had on her career in medicine. She highlights the need for greater inclusion and representation of disabled individuals in the medical field and society as a whole.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Dr. Hannah emphasises the importance of having a variety of acronyms to describe her disabilities, such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and ADHD. She proudly identifies as disabled and embraces the diversity of her disabilities.

The journey to diagnosis for EDS was challenging for Dr. Hannah, as the symptoms were often dismissed or attributed to being a woman. She was fortunate to receive a diagnosis while in medical school, but recognises the struggles that many others face in obtaining a diagnosis and accessing support.

Dr. Hannah faced initial challenges in navigating the medical field as a wheelchair user, but has found ways to adapt and excel in her profession.

Dr. Hannah encourages the integration of disability perspectives into broader conversations, rather than segregating disability as a separate topic. She believes that disabled individuals should be included in all discussions and have their experiences valued.

BEST MOMENTS

"I diagnosed myself and kind of turned up at the cerebrotology appointment going, well, I think I have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type three. And she's like, yeah, yeah, you definitely do. crack on."

"I think it's about kind of going, life is awful, life can be bad, but how do we process that and take it apart and not being scared to do so, or at least making sure you have the support to do so as you go."

"I think it's really important that we claim our soft power... It's about kind of accepting all of that and going here is what I think, what do you think?"

"I think having the disabled community in my life has radically changed it in all the best way possible... because there are certain things that I used to think I was like, oh, I don't think that's quite normal or quite right."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/disabled-and-proud/id1621152878

HOST BIO

Disabled and Proud is the show that brings listeners a different perspective on disability. Each week this podcast highlights an awesome disabled guest speaking about their own disability; why they are proud to be disabled and why they are proud to be themselves.

The conversations in this show will look at what challenges these amazing people face socially, mentally, physically and life in general. This show is raw, open, honest, funny, welcoming and educational.

Disabled & Proud does exactly what it says on the tin! And whilst we are creating this space for disabled people to be unashamedly themselves, without the need to conform to society, this is also not about toxic positivity. This show will be shining a big, bright light on disability without it being “Paralympic or pity”.

As you will hear disability is WHOLE, COMPLETE & PERFECT and whilst the topic of disability can be quite heavy - and we definitely don't shy away from the bad days - this podcast is also about having fun too! Our aim is to play a part in reclaiming the word disability - turning it from inadequacy to perfection!

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