The multi-layered, multi-faceted importance of the lived experience in disability health policy

As described by the New Zealand Office for Disability Issues in 2022, “all policy is disability policy”. Policy and decision-makers need to consider how policies can create a place where people with disability have an equal opportunity to achieve their aspirations and goals. This includes, but is not limited to, access to education, employment and health. This chapter summarises the research evidence around medical education policies in Australia. It will argue that including people's lived experience of disability as learners and practitioners can ultimately benefit all, as it will make health care accessible and inclusive. This chapter also highlights the importance of listening to patients with lived experience of disability. Only by embedding this knowledge and these practices in policy can health care protect the four ethical pillars of health in this cohort: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice.