Briefing

All doctors are disabled, but some are more disabled than others, according to a doctor who made it through medical school despite a physical disability (Postgrad Med J 1999;75:260-1). The barriers were many and surmounted only by a career break from medical school to save enough from paid work for subsistence and a car. Established doctors who develop a disability may face different problems, but the author's message - that our weaknesses may also be our strengths - is worthy of attention.