Isabella Gliatti, a UofL student majoring in biology and exhibit volunteer is a Originally from Lebanon, Ohio, Gliatti lives with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which affects collagen production and leads to chronic pain, joint hypermobility, tachycardia, and fatigue, among other symptoms.

“It’s good for the public to see the unique richness of people with disabilities and that just because people have disabilities, doesn’t mean that they can’t accomplish all different types of things,” Gliatti said.

Training compassionate health care providers

The exhibition was curated by , an international organization founded by award-winning New York City-based photographer Rick Guidotti. The organization collaborates with hospitals, medical schools, museums and more. Guidotti, who once photographed supermodels, wanted to show the unique beauty and ability within disability.

More than 30 local participants were photographed to create the exhibit at UofL.
Each face in the gallery also displays a digital link to a brief video introducing them in their own words.

Through partnership with Positive Exposure and funding support from the UofL Health Sciences Office of Health Equity and Engagement, the exhibit was brought to Louisville as a collaboration between the UofL School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics and the  Kornhauser Library, and includes students, volunteers, physicians and staff.

Faye Jones, pediatrics professor, said the project supports UofL’s mission. “Our holistic approach creates an environment where varied perspectives and backgrounds are valued and ensures that the workforce is equipped to address the health needs of an increasingly diverse population.”

Vida Vaughn, director of the Kornhauser Health Sciences Library, helped to coordinate efforts to bring Positive Exposure to Louisville. “Providing space for this important exhibit aligns perfectly with our goal of promoting patient values as a component of evidence-based practice,” she said. “The beauty of diversity is not just about what makes us distinct, but about how those distinctions create new opportunities for connection and understanding.”

For UofL Department of Pediatrics professors Corrie Harris and Sarah Korte, Positive Exposure became a way to view inclusiveness through the lens of training future compassionate physicians.

Harris, a pediatric hospitalist who works at Home of the Innocents, became familiar with Positive Exposure about six years ago at a conference, and was moved by the message of focusing on the humanity behind diagnosis.

“We really want to remind providers that every patient is a person first — before we get caught up in all the diagnoses and treatments,” she said. “We don’t want to lose sight of the humanity of medicine.”

Korte first discovered the Positive Exposure website during the height of the Covid pandemic when searching for ways to engage students remotely.

She created a project for medical students to choose a participant video from the website and write a reflection, later joining an online discussion group about what they learned. That exercise became a permanent component of the curriculum.

“As health care providers, we often come in with preconceived notions about what we think a patient wants or what we think they should accomplish and don’t ask them what they want,” said Korte. “We need to address our implicit biases and give the patients autonomy to make those decisions about what they want for themselves.”

Recent medical school graduate Sean Woods was the student lead for the Positive Exposure project. He began a residency in pediatric neurology at UofL Health in July 2025.

Woods said the curriculum reflection exercise was revelatory for some and reinforcing for others.

“It’ll make us all better physicians in terms of building relationships with our patients to get an understanding for who they are and what their goals are, and to really work together,” he said.

Reaching the Cardinal community and beyond

Gliatti was invited to volunteer for the project and share her story as a member of .

The club is a UofL coalition of disabled students and their allies that work to foster a safe and inclusive environment, promote student led advocacy and provide a space for disabled students to build solidarity.

Gliatti said the Positive Exposure exhibition helps to increase awareness and inclusiveness around both invisible and visible disabilities. She said she has been pleased to not only share her own story but hear the stories of so many others.

“I hope that someone who is in a similar boat can hear my story and think, ‘Hey, this girl has all these struggles, but she’s in college. Maybe I could do that, too?’”

Learn more about the

Updated Nov. 6, 2025

TRIO offers individuals one-on-one and group academic advising, tutoring, financial counseling, cultural excursions, professional mentoring, career exploration, workshops and more. The initiative also works with pre-college students and provides summer programming, college tours and college application assistance.

This year, during Kentucky TRIO Day in February, UofL TRIO provided two days of workshops, speakers and academic competitions. TRIO Day was established in 1986 by Congress to commemorate the annual achievements of the federal TRIO programs in communities across the country.

UofL News sat down with Laila Shell, a beneficiary of the program and a sophomore in the College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development studying middle and secondary education.

UofL News: How did you discover TRIO’s student support services?

Shell:
I was in middle school — I think 7th grade, and I can’t really tell you how it came about or how I found out about it. But I just know a lot of my friends were like, “Oh, there’s this program called TRIO,” and we just all signed up together. We knew that it would allow us to visit colleges, and it was a good opportunity to explore and meet new people.

UofL News: What was the most beneficial support that TRIO provided you?

Shell:
Definitely the tours, visiting campuses and college readiness. They helped us make sure that we were studying for tests like the ACT, really making sure that we were on track to graduate and have a future in a college or whatever else.

UofL News: What would you say to students who are curious about the support services?

Shell:
I would say try it, you could only gain from it. I feel like the dedication and the warm guidance that they give you is one-of-a-kind; they put their all into making sure that you’re on the right track to graduate and just have a good future.

It’s something you should definitely look into if you have the time for it — go to the sessions, attend the trips. Most of it is very low cost or free, so you really have nothing to lose, all to gain. You make the connections, the network and it’s a good opportunity to make sure that you get yourself out there and prepared for college.

UofL News: How has TRIO Student Support Services impacted your experience at UofL?

Shell:
The study areas that we have and the communal vibe. First-generation students and students who fewer financial resources just all getting together and sharing that space for growth. The resources are there. You can’t say, “I don’t have someone or people to confide in,” they’re all going through the same things you’re going through. It’s just a space to be yourself and get the guidance and resources you need to succeed.

UofL News: How has TRIO impacted your experience? Beyond UofL, do you see your future being impacted by the services that TRIO provided?

Shell:
I think it’s really the connections for me. I feel like we’re all individuals who want the best for ourselves. I feel like the connections that I make within this group is long-term, it’s fulfilling to see people that look like me and that want to be successful in the future. The connections and the networking that goes along within the program are probably some of the most beneficial things for me. Stepping outside of academics, social life on campus is really important to make sure that you’re motivated to keep going and have people to depend on. So, I feel like the networking aspect of it has helped me a lot. I am a better person as far as communicating and making myself known and putting myself out there to try new things and be involved with other aspects of campus.

UofL News: What obstacles would you have faced to your education without TRIO services?

Shell:
I wouldn’t be as open-minded as I am. The barriers that you face as a first-generation student can sometimes limit your beliefs and your expectations for your future. This has provided me more knowledge about the resources that I have on campus. They provide it and they give it to you and it’s just easy to grasp information and resources here. So, without them, I don’t know if I would be able to succeed in college or even be the best version of me.

UofL News: Like envisioning your potential?

Shell:
Yeah, I probably would feel the odds are set against me, you know? But here I feel seen, and I feel valued. That allows me to be the best version of me.

The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) has presented Chandan the Distinguished Public Service Award at the organization’s annual assembly in San Antonio, Texas. Chandan, assistant professor in the University of Louisville’s Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) and the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, was selected thanks to her efforts at ensuring inclusive health through innovations in medical education and her work with Special Olympics.

In a ceremony last month, Chandan received the award, established to honor individuals who, in the course of public service activities, have significantly contributed to the growth and development of services that directly impact the specialty of PM&R. Previous winners of the award include Michelle Obama, Judith E. Heumann, an international disability rights activist, and numerous members of Congress.

Chandan is committed to inclusive health, the intentional inclusion of all people, including people with intellectual disabilities, in mainstream health services, training programs, research, funding streams, policies and laws.

“Intentional inclusion of people with disabilities in the spaces physicians occupy — clinical, research and teaching environments — is critical for repairing trust with marginalized communities, including the one-in-four American adults with a disability,” Chandan said. “Historically, medicine has been part of the problem, which means we have a responsibility to be part of the solution moving forward by engaging in advocacy efforts together with the patients we serve.”

Chandan’s personal experience with her brother has given her a personal understanding of the need for physicians who can provide equitable care for people with ID. She led AAPM&R’s Inclusive Health Innovation grant from the Special Olympics, which involved policy, education and advocacy activities, including the creation of an AAPM&R Intellectual Disability Member Community.

“Dr. Chandan is taking her personal experience and has turned it into a passion that she uses every day in her career,” said Darryl Kaelin, MD, chief of the UofL Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. “She is making better care for individuals with intellectual disability a local and national goal. She represents the University of Louisville well.”

Chandan directs the , a partnership between Special Olympics International and the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry to ensure future physicians receive training to care for individuals with ID across their lifespan. For this program, she oversees inclusive medical education efforts at 18 medical schools nationwide and led UofL’s participation in the program, partnering with Special Olympics Kentucky and Lee Specialty Clinic.

Chandan also received funding from to further develop medical education in the form of a standardized patient experience for PM&R residents using actors from .

Chandan is involved in Special Olympics International’s Inclusive Health movement, where she serves as a content expert for the Center for Inclusive Health, an online resource for health care providers and other audiences for ways to intentionally include people with intellectual disability in mainstream health care services, training programs and research. She also is a global clinical advisor for MedFest, the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program that provides free pre-participation sports physical exams to athletes with ID. She has engaged residents and faculty in MedFest efforts in Virginia, North Carolina, and .

Chandan was a member of the 2018-19 cohort of the faculty leadership program at UofL, Leadership and Innovation in Academic Medicine (LIAM). As part of the year-long leadership curriculum, she and her group colleagues piloted interactive, online topic tournaments to increase active, self-directed learning opportunities in the medical school curriculum.

To improve access to quality health care for adults with IDD, thn Nov. 12 at UofL. The conference will inform physical, occupational and speech therapists, physicians, dentists, social workers, patients and their caregivers about best current practices and future treatment directions for adults with IDD and address the multidisciplinary approach needed for their care.

“These are individuals with neurologically-based conditions who require interdisciplinary care from a variety of health care providers, including primary care, dentistry, cardiology, pulmonary, neurology, psychiatry and psychology, as well as physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy,” said Michael Sowell, MD, professor in the Department of Neurology at UofL and co-director of the conference.

One such individual is Steven Haburne, described by his mother as, “a 41-year-old man with a pleasant personality who was born with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and developmental disability.” He moves in a wheelchair, is non-verbal and has a seizure disorder. Haburne’s mother, Shirley Haburne, said they have met with physicians over the years who did not speak to Steven directly or who made assumptions about his condition without listening to Shirley’s description of his individual needs. When Haburne was very young, his family’s dentist told Shirley he was not comfortable treating Steven.

“It did hurt my feelings, but I understand. He is not the same as other patients,” Shirley said. “It has taken a lifetime of finding doctors. It takes time to find a doctor who will listen to you and trust what you say.”

Steven now receives dental care at in Louisville, which offers medical, dental, psychiatric and general health care services for patients with IDD, and he receives medical care from several specialists at . Shirley hopes the conference will help make optimal health care available for her son and others with IDD.

The conference will cover autism outreach, mobility and assistive technology, cognitive decline, advocacy for adults with IDD, and understanding the barriers in transitioning a child with neurodevelopmental disabilities into the adult provider network. Afternoon breakout sessions include topics in medicine, dentistry, developmental psychiatry and psychology, therapeutics and social work and are designed to stimulate discussions among health care providers, patients and their families that will lead to an improved standard of care in the region.

The event also is designed to support the physician specialty of adult developmental medicine.

“Developmental medicine as an emerging specialty pulls together a formal curriculum and training pathway to prepare physicians to provide the comprehensive care that these individuals need,” Sowell said.

Learn more about this specialty at the .

Conference details

The Second Annual Caring for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Conference is scheduled for Nov. 12, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the UofL School of Medicine, Instructional Building B – Room 115, 500 S. Preston St., Louisville, Ky. Continuing education credit is available. or by calling 502-852-5329.

Remote attendance

This conference also is available via a live interactive video conference for all persons interested in caring for adult individuals with a diagnosis of an intellectual or a developmental disability. to reserve your spot for the meeting.

Follow Lucas at school as his mom, teacher and Dr. Bertocci talk about what’s happened to him over the past year.