HT Exclusive | How John McFall's ‘Parastronaut Feasibility' opens space to disability inclusion, expert weighs in

A University of Toronto professor told HT.com how the parastronaut program opens the diversity chapter in space-related conversations.

The European Space Agency (ESA) engineered a historic breakthrough in November 2022 by picking now-43-year-old Briton John McFall as the first “parastronaut." As a former Paralympic sprinter and an orthopaedic surgeon, McFall was cleared to fly into space earlier this year following the groundbreaking two-year “Fly!” feasibility study.

John McFall - a member of the ESA Astronaut Class of 2022. A motorbike accident resulted in the amputation of his right leg at the age of 19. Earlier this year, he was cleared to fly in space, becoming the first "parastronaut."(European Space Agency)

McFall's introduction to a relatively more diverse ESA astronaut class of 2022 became the space agency's answer to “enhance our comprehension of the challenges posed by space flight for astronauts with physical disabilities, aiming to overcome these barriers.”

A new journal publication in Nature's Communications Medicine explores the consequential butterfly effect this pioneering step towards diversity inclusion in the space sector can have on Healthcare.

Published on July 25 (IST), the “Healthcare can learn from space exploration to champion disability inclusion” article, primarily steered by project lead Dr Farhan Asrar, sees him join forces with experts from NASA and ESA. Their joint study, now reflected as a publication in one of the leading journal groups' databases, also happened to have been released in time for the 34th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – July 26.

HindustanTimes.com had the privilege of discussing the new study at length with Dr Asrar, who perceptively helped weave a bigger web of the diversity inclusion issue in an exclusive interview. As a Canadian dual Public Health Physician and Family Physician, academic, and researcher, Dr Asrar is a professor at the University of Toronto.

Dr Farhan Asrar (right) with astronaut Col. Jeremy Hansen, who will become the first Canadian (& first non-American) to enter the Moon's orbit on the Artemis II mission.

Exploring the space sector's efforts to expand diversity inclusion

“The ADA is a U.S. law that prohibits discrimination based on disability and mandates equal access to public accommodations, employment, and services,” he informed.

“Our submission to it was long before, so it was not planned to be published at the same time. Once the journal accepted the manuscript and the publication was going to take place near this day, the journal accommodated to timely publish it around the USA's National Disability Independence Day due to its relevance.”

Mapping out the message similar to Dana Bolles' (co-author of the journal) NASA QnA profile, Dr Asrar underlined how, historically, space exploration has been “limited in involving women, minorities, and those with physical disabilities.”

However, relatively recent initiatives launched by the space sector reflect “a significant change” with an increasing focus on “promoting diversity and inclusion and breaking down barriers.”

There have been several steps taken to increase awareness and involvement in space among those with disabilities, which includes a number of zero-gravity space flights. “One major leap forward is the European Space Agency's Parastronaut program" as it specifically invited "those with a physical disability to apply to become an astronaut,” he added.

Speaking up against ableism

When asked if McFall's case, as a former Paralympian and an orthopaedic surgeon, feeds into the “model minority” myth, i.e., pushing candidates to be extra perfect on several accounts compared to other astronaut programs, Dr Asrar instantly shut down the suggestion.

“For anyone who might think of there being a model minority myth, I would ask them to self-reflect and see if this is not ableism speaking.”

“Research studies have even shown that professionals with disabilities felt their career advancements were impacted,” Dr Asrar said of ableism working its way into this diversity discourse.

Acknowledging McFall's previous achievements and hurdles he overcame “to excel in the roles he took on,” Dr Asrar lauded him as “someone who challenged the odds and excelled in several realms, such as the physical world of sports, the educational and knowledge world of medicine.” He affirmed that the mental resilience needed to achieve all this ultimately led him to become the world's first astronaut with a physical disability.

Actively moving towards an inclusive framework and overcoming barriers

Our next question advertently led us to a conversation about how space agencies could foster a welcoming environment for candidates like Dr John McFall, considering the challenges (like environmental barriers) that must be overcome.

“I would say the space world has pushed itself towards a welcoming environment by developing and organising such a parastronaut program in the first place!” Dr Asrar said.

"The environmental barriers are being assessed and studied to see what technology updates, training updates, and structural updates may be needed since the original suits, vehicles and infrastructure did not cater to someone with a disability."