A recent survey done of random medical practices in Boston, Dallas, Houston and Portland, Oregon, found that 22% of the offices reported that they could not accommodate a patient who used a wheelchair and was unable to transfer independently from the chair to an examination table.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a wide-ranging civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability, came into effect over 20 years ago. The fact that some patients would be turned down due to their disability is a clear sign that America has a long way to go to obtain an accessible society.
A wide-range of medical practice was surveyed, and the results were interesting but not altogether surprising. Gynecologist offices, at 44%, were least likely to be accessible, while psychiatrists, at 4%, were the most able to accommodate disabled patients.