Around 1980 two global currents—the rise of evidence-based medicine and minority activism for diversity and inclusion—catalysed a decisive turn towards the social model of disability. This model reframes disability as a mismatch between individual bodies and social environments rather than as an intrinsic defect. Accordingly, medicine must now redesign its physical, institutional, and cultural systems so that people with disabilities and other marginalized identities can participate fully as patients and colleagues. Closing the resulting health-equity gap requires environments that welcome practitioners with disabilities, embrace user-centred design, and recognize medicine’s own “positive powerlessness”. Section 1.2 discusses barrier-free and inclusive design for rehabilitating the elderly and disabled. In Japan, where the population is ageing rapidly and policies promoting the social participation of people with disabilities are advancing, barrier-free and inclusive designs should enhance the quality of life (QOL) of the elderly and disabled by improving their activities of daily living (ADLs) in relation to their living environments. These design approaches start with the concept of “disability” as the basis of design and incorporate social, cultural, and contextual aspects of daily life. Future challenges include coordinating with institutional systems, conducting empirical research, and promoting co-creative design with relevant stakeholders.