Academic Medicine Open Forum

Hi all,

I'm working with an student whose wrist condition now significantly limits his ability to perform anatomy lab tasks. He recently had an escalation of his condition, and daily manipulation with scalpels, forceps, or scissors causes pain so severe it interferes with his functioning. He clearly meets a threshold of disability in this context and needs accommodations, not just "tweaks."

I'm reaching out to this community for collective wisdom. If you or your students have navigated similar cases, I'd be deeply grateful for any info or recommendations in the following areas:

• Adaptive or ergonomic surgical instruments (scalpels, scissors, dissection tools) designed for lower grip strength or angled handles

• Low-force or power-assisted dissection tools that reduce manual strain

• Splints, bracing, or supports compatible with lab gloves, clean environment, and cadaver/lab safety

• Assistive grips or attachments (e.g. thicker handles, trigger aids) that retrofit standard instruments

• Task reallocation models for lab groups (e.g. one person dissects, another documents, another leads annotation) so the student still engages meaningfully

• Policies or precedents for substituting gross dissection tasks with alternate assignments without penalization

• Funding, procurement, or vendor leads that reliably supply such devices

• Insights on how institutions structured these adjustments in required gross anatomy and clinical skills labs

Thank you in advance for your feedback and advice!

------------------------------
Jason Anderson
Accommodations Manager
Medical College of Wisconsin
------------------------------

I'm late to answering this, so apologies if it is duplicative. 

I would start with your Occupational and Physical Therapists, who might already have some of these tools.

https://thesciencebank.org/pages/virtual-dissection-resources#human 

https://peoria.medicine.uic.edu/depts/academic/health-sciences-education-pathology/resources-facilities/ 

https://www.hapsweb.org/publications-news/haps-blog/2024/11/08/creative-and-impactful-ways-to-meet-student-lab-accommodations-like-a-pro/ 

Please let us know what you try, and how it works.

------------------------------
Carolyn Pointer (she/hers)
Associate Professor
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
cpointer49@siumed.edu

Opinions my own.
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-13-2025 03:57:46 PM
From: Jason Anderson
Subject: Adaptive tools and task design- Anatomy lab

Hi all,

I'm working with an student whose wrist condition now significantly limits his ability to perform anatomy lab tasks. He recently had an escalation of his condition, and daily manipulation with scalpels, forceps, or scissors causes pain so severe it interferes with his functioning. He clearly meets a threshold of disability in this context and needs accommodations, not just "tweaks."

I'm reaching out to this community for collective wisdom. If you or your students have navigated similar cases, I'd be deeply grateful for any info or recommendations in the following areas:

• Adaptive or ergonomic surgical instruments (scalpels, scissors, dissection tools) designed for lower grip strength or angled handles

• Low-force or power-assisted dissection tools that reduce manual strain

• Splints, bracing, or supports compatible with lab gloves, clean environment, and cadaver/lab safety

• Assistive grips or attachments (e.g. thicker handles, trigger aids) that retrofit standard instruments

• Task reallocation models for lab groups (e.g. one person dissects, another documents, another leads annotation) so the student still engages meaningfully

• Policies or precedents for substituting gross dissection tasks with alternate assignments without penalization

• Funding, procurement, or vendor leads that reliably supply such devices

• Insights on how institutions structured these adjustments in required gross anatomy and clinical skills labs

Thank you in advance for your feedback and advice!

------------------------------
Jason Anderson
Accommodations Manager
Medical College of Wisconsin
------------------------------