International Helath Humanities Network: Reports by Keywords

The Medical Humanities Group of the University College of Medical Sciences (University of Delhi) and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Delhi, India formed a special interest group on disability under the leadership of Dr Satendra Singh designated ‘Infinite Ability’. The main purpose behind the formation of the group was the promotion and coordination among medical persons with disabilities of medical humanitarian approaches that would focus on four competency-based learning objectives of narrative medicine: graphic medicine; interpersonal and communication skills; patient care, and professionalism.

The group organised an experiential workshop on Augusto Boal's ground-breaking work 'Theatre of the Oppressed',[1] which we believe represents the first such initiative for medical students. We continued 'Confluence', our medical humanities lecture series, using the theme of 'looking beyond disability', started a blog on which narratives could be written, shared paintings related to disability and painted by people with disabilities, celebrated observances such as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and used street theatre to sensitise the general public.

Medical students, faculty staff, non-teaching staff and patients alike contributed to this exploration of disability and a specially constituted enabling unit promoted the use of imagination as a tool for continuous improvement. This initiative represents an attempt to offer a clear and understandable focus on a value system that can and should be changed: specifically, this value system is rooted in almost all societies and is dependent on a particular view of the human condition.

The website can be accessed at http://infiniteability.yolasite.com/

• 1. Singh S. Broadening horizons: Looking beyond disability. Med Educ. 2012; 46(5): 522

Dr Satendra Singh
Coordinator, Enabling Unit, Founder, Infinite Ability

University College of Medical Sciences

Delhi-110095, India

email: infiniteability@hotmail.com

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