r/DisabledMedStudents

I’m currently in nursing school and was in clinical today when another student started asking me about my hearing aids. They asked if I was born with hearing loss or if it happened later. I also have facial paralysis, and they said something along the lines of, “I noticed your face was lopsided too.”
Then they said, “When I ask people about their disability, I’m either going to get a really boring answer or an interesting answer.”
For some context, I had a brain tumour in the past that caused my hearing loss and facial paralysis. It was an extremely difficult period of my life, and it took me a lot of courage to eventually go back to school. I’ve never really had anyone at school comment on my face or hearing aids before, so this caught me completely off guard.
I know people can be curious and I don't necessarily mind answering questions about my hearing aids when they're asked respectfully. But something about the way this student approached it and especially the “boring or interesting answer” comment really bothered me. It felt like they were treating something that was a very difficult part of my life as an interesting story.
I’m not sure what to do now. Should I just let it go? Should I say something to the student if it happens again? Would it be appropriate to mention it to my clinical instructor, or would that be making too big a deal out of it?
I’d really appreciate some outside perspective because I’m still thinking about the interaction and wondering if I’m overreacting.

Does anyone with a physical disability have recs for OR accommodations? I'm currently planning with my school as for what would be best in terms of surgery placement, and I'm looking for ideas or things other people have had success with! I don't want to disclose exactly what mobility aid I use, but if anyone out there is a wheelchair, walker, knee scooter, or cane user, certain accommodations may be cross-applicable.

For context: Im Brazilian, autistic (diagnosed) and close to finishing med school, and going into psychiatry. I've done rotations in hospitals and community mental health centers, and I'm deeply passionate about this profession

I'm a class rep, and this week there's a mandatory conference at my school. The space is small and a lot of people show up, so it gets packed and loud. A few autistic classmates asked me to talk to the coordinator because they wouldn't be able to handle that environment. It bothers me a lot too, and if I went, I'd stay as little as possible

I asked another class rep for the coordinator's contact (which he was supposed to provide to me 4 months ago) and explained why. I was told that for future doctors this is something you have to "fight through," that you have to "get used to it," that people with autism have limitations and need to do the same, and that conferences are where doctors stay up to date to give the best care

In the end, the message was that an autistic person would be a worse doctor for not handling a crowded room. When I pointed out that this was ableism, I was told it was just "another perspective"

Later he """acknowledged""" that he used "unfortunate words," but kept talking about our "limitations," in an AI-written text 🫩 And the request was simple: an alternative, like attending online. Staying up to date comes from studying, papers, and guidelines, not from being able to spend hours in a crowded place

Anyway, just sad to see that, even with new generation of doctors, this will continue to be a frequent occurrence

Anybody has taken quetiapine 25 mg to sleep and being able to study well in med school?