Learning Objective #1: discuss the research findings that support the importance of improving nursing care of people with disabilities.

Learning Objective #2: identify three strategies to integrate disability-related content in nursing curricula.

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More than 600 million people of all ages around the world live with a disability, redefined in 2001 by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a consequence of impairments, activity limitations, participation restrictions, and environmental factors. This number is expected to grow due to increased numbers of people surviving acute and chronic illnesses and trauma due to armed conflict around the world. Multiple studies indicate that people with disability receive health care that is inadequate and that ignores the effect of disability on health. Lack of attention to these issues in the health professions' curricula has been identified as a key factor contributing to inadequate care. Many governments and agencies are calling for strategies to address disability more effectively in all health professions' curricula so that healthcare professionals can be better prepared to provide care for this growing and vulnerable population. The presenter's recent studies have demonstrated that disability-related issues are not adequately addressed in schools of nursing or by textbooks used extensively in nursing education programs. As a result, nursing education falls short of the goal of improving nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and actions related to care of people with disability. Findings from the presenter's studies will be briefly summarized to provide the basis for strategies to more effectively address disability in nursing curricula. Educational strategies and approaches based on the evidence resulting from these studies and congruent with the values of people with disabilities will be described and discussed. Models of disability will be examined with recommendations for use of appropriate models of disability for nursing education and practice along with specific suggestions for improving the education of nurses about care of people with disabilities, based on the presenter's research findings and on the revised WHO definition of disability that focuses on health rather than disease.