Diversity among doctors: Students with disabilities are finding their place in medical schools—and beyond
Cathy Gulli

September 25, 2015

For Jessica Dunkley, getting into medical school was no ordinary childhood dream. Deaf since the day she was born, Dunkley aspired to become a doctor when, at age 10, her aunt gave her a plastic human anatomy model with removable organs.

She didn’t think it was possible until, in her mid-20s, she happened to read about deaf doctors practising in the United States. “I realized the opportunity was out there,” and she became “determined to do medicine.” Dunkley applied to numerous medical schools and, in 2010, completed the undergraduate program at the University of Ottawa, where a sign language interpreter accompanied her to class and clinical sessions. Today, Dunkley is finishing her second year of residency in public health and family medicine at the University of Alberta—making her one of the first deaf doctors in Canada.