Dietetics practitioners are food and nutrition experts who help people eat better and live healthier lives.
Dietitians work in a wide range of settings—from hospitals and research labs to sports teams, schools, nursing homes, and the food industry. Yet, despite the diversity of the populations they serve, the dietetics profession remains predominantly female, white, and able-bodied. Only 2% of dietetics practitioners self-identify as having a disability, compared to 29% of U.S. adults.
There is a growing and urgent need to diversify the nutrition and dietetics workforce—especially by including practitioners with disabilities.
This powerful and inspiring book features the autobiographies of 15 credentialed dietetics practitioners with disabilities, who share their lived experiences navigating:
College and academic accommodations
Supervised practice internships
National credentialing exams
Employment, workplace access, and disability disclosure
Disability culture around food, nutrition, and eating
Their disabilities include cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, vision and hearing impairments, mobility disabilities, and chronic illnesses.
In addition to these personal stories, the book includes seven educational chapters offering guidance on:
How to become a dietitian
Navigating disability-related resources
Disability statistics and workforce inclusion
Best practices for education, supervision, and employment
This book is an essential resource for:
People with disabilities exploring careers in dietetics or other healthcare professions
Dietetics and healthcare students/interns with disabilities
Educators, preceptors, managers, and supervisors
Career counselors and disability services professionals
Allies, family members, and colleagues of people with disabilities
All book royalties are donated to initiatives that support and educate a more inclusive dietetics workforce.
“Through the different voices and viewpoints expressed here, disabled readers may find more of their own experiences reflected in these pages, and nondisabled readers will receive insights into a world they’ve likely never considered… An involving, multivoiced look into the lives of disabled diet specialists.” — Kirkus Reviews
Suzanne ("Suzi") Domel Baxter, PhD, RD, LD, FADA, FAND earned a BS degree in dietetics from Texas Christian University and a MS degree and a PhD degree (both in nutrition) from Texas Woman's University. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Medical College of Georgia. She has worked as a dietitian in a residential school for children with disabilities, in a hospital clinic for adults, in school food service, and for the Women, Infants, and Children Program. Most of her career was in nutrition research. She acquired a mobility disability in 2010 which caused her to resign her Research Professor position late in 2016. She has presented widely on nutrition and authored many peer-reviewed publications including several on disability. She is now a disability advocate. She co-founded the Disabilities in Nutrition and Dietetics Member Interest Group within the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This group launched on June 1, 2023, with her as the Inaugural Chair. She was recognized as the "Outstanding Dietitian of the Year" in 2012 by the South Carolina Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She received the "Monsen Award for Outstanding Research Literature" in 2017 from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She was recognized as one of "Today's Dietitian's Annual Showcase of Ten Dietitians Who are Making a Difference" in 2025. Her illustrated children's book titled "When I Grow Up, I Can Be a Dietitian!" was published in 2024.
