Taylor Carty has cerebral palsy and has long dreamed of becoming a doctor. She hopes to help children and young people with disabilities one day. Grace widyatmadja for NPR Closed subtitles
Throughout his 20s, Taylor Carty pursued his dream of becoming a doctor.
Carty, 30, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child and was inspired by the doctors and healthcare professionals who helped and encouraged her.
"I know this is the path I want to pursue," she said.
In 2022, it looks like her dream is about to become a reality. She was admitted to the School of Medicine at Wayne State University in Detroit. Her grandfather was a doctor and attended medical school there.
“I am ecstatic because it is the culmination of years of hard work and my dream that may help children with disabilities and young people.”
More than 25% of adults in the U.S. report disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nevertheless, there are insufficient numbers of people with disabilities in the field of medicine. The American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) says about 3% of doctors in the United States have disabilities.
Carty tries to change that.
She often uses a wheelchair and has limited mobility on her left hand, which makes some physical tasks challenging. After acceptance, she delayed admitting to handling insurance issues, while she focused on meeting Wayne State standards to perform certain medical procedures (such as CPR and suture wounds).
"One thing that makes stitching more difficult is that I can't turn around (my left hand) with my palm facing," Katy explained. "I can turn it into neutral."
Katy often used a wheelchair to help her walk around. She asked for accommodation at Wayne State University School of Medicine, but her acceptance was eventually revoked. Grace widyatmadja for NPR Closed subtitles
Students in an accredited medical school must meet such technical standards to ensure that all physicians have the basic skills they need to treat their patients. Although each school can set its own specific requirements.
Wayne State University standards require students to be able to perform these procedures without help.
"I've been able to master the suture (a one-handed knot with himself," Katy said. But she's having trouble with other life-saving moves, such as inserting snorkels and CPR.
She asked Wayne State University student disability services to help her practice these procedures and proposed techniques that could perform certain tasks for her. They exchanged emails for several months.
"There will be some difficulties soon," she said.
Carty said she formally required accommodation from Wayne State or amendment to meet standards under the federal Disability Rights Act. She asked for permission to direct another person to perform or assist in some necessary procedures.
After a year of back and forth, Wayne State canceled her acceptance in 2023.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Katy said.
Ten months later, she proposed Discrimination Complaints with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Carty is excited to be in the footsteps of his grandfather at Wayne State University School of Medicine. Courtesy of Taylor Carty Closed subtitles
Since 2021, the American Medical College Association has encouraged medical schools to update their technical standards to make them more inclusive of students with disabilities.
A team of researchers is investigating the number of recommendations that follow AAMC. Carol Haywood, an assistant professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, is one of them.
“One thing we’ve seen is that despite the 2021 recommendations to do so, there aren’t many recorded activities to update the technical standards,” Haywood said. “Overall, most schools still have most standards limited for students with disabilities.”
But many doctors with disabilities say the representation of disabled physicians is crucial to the industry.
Dr. Vovanti Jones is a Physics Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist at the University of Missouri. Jones suffers from muscle dystrophy.
She said many patients suddenly found themselves suffering from disabilities or unable to walk.
“I do think my patients have different relationships with my colleagues who are working out a lot of the time,” Jones said.
"They know I get it, right? If you're sitting in a room, you're like 'my back hurt because I'm stuck in a wheelchair all day' or 'I can't do it,' I come in and say 'Oh, I get it. I know too. My ass hurt too!'
Share laughter with patients and find common ground, Jones said.
The Katy Justice Department complaint said Wayne State violated Section 504 of the People with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Federal law requires public universities to make their programs accessible and provide reasonable accommodation.
Wayne State University informed Carty that the modifications she requested were unreasonable.
On April 23, 2025, Jonathan and Carlin outdoor public health signs were seen on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, California. Grace widyatmadja for NPR Closed subtitles
Her lawyer, Claudia Center, who is also the legal director of the nonprofit Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), said the law is clear:
“These requirements say that Wayne State should not perform these strict manual tasks they require doctors to perform, but rather modify them, or allow students to access reasonable accommodation to perform tasks.”
The university declined to speak or make a statement to the NPR and said it had no comments on pending lawsuits or related matters.
However, accredited organizations that determine the MD technical standards guidelines defend it as “essential” and “issues of public trust.” Dr. Veronica Catanese is Deputy Minister of the Commission on Liaison Medical Education (LCME).
The standards establish “attributes, quality, and are part of the medical profession – what individuals expect from doctors when interacting with them.”
Carty is determined to change how people think about who can become a doctor. Grace widyatmadja for NPR Closed subtitles
The Catani people say LCME allows medical schools to set their own specific rules to provide the best care regardless of accommodation.
"If someone's appendix breaks, there are some very simple physical signs that really determine whether something is acute and life-threatening. The skills of physical examination are what sports and physical abilities mean."
Some medical schools have changed their requirements to focus more on what students know and less on their physical abilities. The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine recently updated its standards.
"If you're in a hospital environment, CPR will never be a person to a person. It's part of a large team doing the code," said Sean Evans, associate dean of medical education at UCSD. "The doctors of the elderly never do that. It's really hard. It's not done by one person."
Evans led the team that revised medical school requirements, saying students can do treatment with a partner or team instead of doing it themselves.
“Let our team members understand and live in that area, whether it’s dealing with physical disabilities or invisible, emotional or psychological or learning disabilities, I think that makes our team richer in the care we can provide to patients,” Evans said.
Dr. Jones, a rehabilitation physician in Missouri, said some progress has been made, but not enough:
“There is still a lot of mentality out there that stops people who may have disabilities entering the medical field and don’t even really understand their needs or how to make the proper accommodation.”
Some art on the wall of Kati. She is an admirer of the writings of Winston Churchill. Grace widyatmadja for NPR Closed subtitles
Taylor Carty is now pursuing a Master of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She said she wanted to build change through policies to help more people with disabilities become doctors.
"I know there is a young kid wearing a stethoscope and I want them to use it," she said.