PoWER Program: People with Disabilities Educating Residents

Siebens H, Cairns K, Schalick WO III, Fondulis D, Corcoran P, Bartels E: PoWER Program: People with Disabilities Educating Residents. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2004;83:203–209. An educational program was developed incorporating people with disabilities (PWDs) as “consumer-trainers” who educate physical medicine and rehabilitation residents about challenges in everyday living and their solutions to these. During the residency postgraduate years 2 and 4, pairs of residents visited trainers in their homes and at their jobs to learn about their lifestyles and adaptations. Residents’ described the experience as “excellent, outstanding, invaluable” in more than half of the evaluations. PWDs can educate physical medicine and rehabilitation residents about living with disabilities. This new residency educational strategy encourages residents to value the perspective of PWDs.