According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 8 million adults in the U.S. live with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDDs), a figure that is expected to rise in the coming years.
This population faces a heightened risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, while also being less likely to receive regular healthcare.
Geisel School of Medicine students James Feng MED’26 and Omar Sajjad MED’27, attribute these disparities to a lack of familiarity among healthcare providers with the unique needs of patients with IDDs, compounded by implicit biases. These disparities, they note, are fundamentally incompatible with the principles of public health and medical ethics.
As Schweitzer Fellows, the duo initiated a service project to address these gaps in care by piloting a student-led health education and enrichment program for adults with IDDs in the Upper Valley. Collaborating with Visions for Creative Housing Solutions—an Upper Valley nonprofit providing housing and social support for adults with IDDs—their year-long service project evolved into a lasting partnership. When their fellowship ended, Visions invited Feng and Sajjad to continue and expand their work.
From Service to Advocacy and Education
“We’re grateful that Visions wanted us to continue this project,” Sajjad shares. “While service work remains a cornerstone of our work, we have expanded our focus in the past year to include advocacy and education. Our goal is to prepare medical students to care for patients with disabilities of all types, as they will encounter this patient population regardless of their chosen specialties.”
"Our goal is to prepare medical students to care for patients with disabilities of all types, as they will encounter this patient population regardless of their chosen specialties."
- Omar Sajjad MED’27
The program now includes monthly service events with Visions and a variety of educational opportunities for Geisel medical students. These include lunchtime lectures with physicians experienced in treating individuals with disabilities and a unique simulated clinical skills workshop. During these simulations, Visions volunteers act as clinical patients, offering medical students a rare opportunity to develop skills specific to working with individuals with disabilities—a gap in many medical school curricula.
Building Confidence Through Training
To measure the effectiveness of the simulated clinics, Feng and Sajjad surveyed medical students about their confidence interacting with patients with disabilities before and after the workshops. “Initially, many students felt apprehensive,” Feng explains. “But afterward, they reported significantly increased confidence.”
This improvement, he notes, stems from gaining exposure to IDD patients in a safe, controlled, and supportive environment. “Our aim through these programs is to equip medical students with the familiarity and skillset needed to provide competent care.”
Enrichment Activities for Adults with IDDs
For adults with IDDs, the program incorporates physical and mental health activities focused on wellness and health education through experiential learning. From adaptive sports like kayaking and pickleball to creative outlets such as arts and crafts, the activities ensure inclusivity. One recent event was a baking class at King Arthur Flour in Norwich, VT, where participants learned to make simple, easy to prepare recipes that boosted their confidence in meal preparation.
Sustainable Impact and Growing Community Engagement
“We wanted to make sure our initial project grew into a lasting, sustainable program,” Feng says. This included reviving Geisel’s Disability Advocacy Group (DAG), which is now a thriving student organization with its own leadership structure of students who organize and run events with Visions. DAG provides students with opportunities to learn about disability advocacy, network with professionals, and engage in meaningful service.
“We wanted to make sure our initial project grew into a lasting, sustainable program."
- James Feng MED’26
Sajjad says that Visions events now attract more Geisel medical students who are eager to learn from and work with Visions residents. “Nancy Gabriel, director of the New Hampshire/Vermont Schweitzer Fellows Program at Dartmouth, was instrumental in helping us develop this program,” he says. “What began as a fellowship project, has become a lasting initiative we’re proud of—sustainable through our collaboration with Visions.”
Looking Ahead
Feng and Sajjad credit Geisel’s supportive community for the program’s success. “Our journey underscores the importance of integrating disability health education into medical training,” Sajjad says. “Together, we’re making strides towards a more inclusive and equitable healthcare system.”
