Health Professionals: Here’s What People with Disability Want You To Know

Listening. Respect. Empathy. It matters more than you think.

People with disability often access healthcare more frequently than those without disability—but more contact doesn’t always mean better care.

We recently asked 103 people with disability about their experiences with both general and mental health services. We didn’t just want data—we wanted their voices. So we asked a simple, powerful question:

👉 What do you want health professionals to know?

Here’s what they told us.

1. We Are Experts in Our Own Bodies—Please Listen to Us

The message was loud and clear: many people feel they aren’t heard—or worse, dismissed—when trying to explain what’s going on in their bodies.

Too often, this lack of listening results in delayed diagnoses, misdirected treatment, and emotional harm. Some people even shared stories of medical trauma made worse by being ignored or gaslit.

🗣️ “Listen to us—we know our own experiences.”
🗣️ “Understand that people with disability are most often experts in their own healthcare.”

What people with disability want is simple: to be believed. Not second-guessed. Not bypassed. Not spoken over or spoken about to their support people. Just included, respected, and asked directly what they need.

2. Know Your Biases—And Challenge Them

Bias isn't always obvious. But it shows up—in assumptions about competence, intelligence, or communication abilities.

People in our survey shared examples of being stereotyped, ignored, or reduced to a diagnosis. They felt like their whole selves were overlooked, with professionals focusing only on their disability, rather than treating them holistically.

🗣️ “They need to know that my disability is not the only or primary characteristic I have.”

Health professionals must actively reflect on their assumptions and stereotypes. Awareness is the first step toward respectful, person-centred care.

3. Empathy Over Sympathy—Always

There’s a difference between empathy and sympathy—and people with disability feel it deeply.

While sympathy can come from a good place, it can also feel patronising or pitying. What people want is connection, not condescension. Respect, not sorrow.

🗣️ “I would like health professionals to] demonstrate more respect and empathy of everyday struggles an individual may experience.”

Empathy says, “I hear you, and I believe you.”
Sympathy says, “I feel sorry for you.”

Which one would you rather receive?

Listening is an Act of Respect

At its core, all of this comes down to dignity. Are we listening with openness? Are we making space for people’s voices—even when they challenge our training, experience, or assumptions?

People with disability are telling us what they need. It’s time we really listen.

👉 Curious to learn more?
Explore the full results of our recent survey [insert link to previous blog]

👉 Want to improve your practice?

Check out our evidence-based professional development training
https://www.beyondbias.com.au/training-and-professional-development-2

Together, let’s move beyond bias—and toward care that truly includes.