The issue with disabilities is about completing the residency --
It is wrong to state that PDs could care less if you don't practice after your residency. PDs do care to one degree or another about producing competent physicians for society, . . . it is easy to get an M.D. foreign or otherwise to fill a vacated spot by someone who had a "medical illness." Obviously, some PDs try a little too hard to avoid this IMHO by trying to pry too much into an applicant's personal life. I would estimate that most residents with a medical condition will be able to practice medicine as well as any other resident.
Which returns to the original debate of freedom to pursue happiness versus good to the society, or perhaps good for the PD. Regardless of how anyone views age, it is against the law to discriminate based on age. So, obviously this helps people out who are in their 40's or 50's applying for medicine. It is an undisputable fact that if the mean age of residents raised from late 20's to say 50's then YES these physicians would on average be expected to work at least 20 years less than their younger counterparts. However, medical schools and PDs make allowances for older applicants to pursue their inner dreams of becoming physicians as they have a right to pursue happiness.
Obviously, however, from a purely financial standpoint it makes no to society to admit large numbers of very much older applicants, especially with a physician shortage. But, we are a society where individuals are supposed to be judged on their own merits, and age should not be a factor.
However, I feel that the resident with a medical condition also could be grouped in the same class a an older applicant. They may have to curtail their training (most likely not at all), but want to pursue their definition of "happiness."
Personally, I think it is a little hypocritical to allow older applicants even ground to residencies and medical schools, but to treat residents with medical conditions as defective. On average, I think that residents with a medical condition (most of which are chronic and won't limit life much) can give back more to society than an older applicant.
For example, say a 50 year is applying for a neurosurgical residency, he/she gets it and practices for 15 years and retires at 65 versus someone who starts their residency when he/she is 26 and practices for 39 years until he/she is 65 and then retires.
Not that I am against such admission of older applicants. Some older applicants are good, others I found to be snobbish, rude and domineering over younger students whom they may have resented. Just that residency applicants with a medical condition should be given the same even playing ground as these older applicants have enjoyed for years. It is odd that there is such a stigma of people with medical conditions in the medical profession. Actually, not that odd, as doctors for years harbored racist attitudes that were reinforced on how medicine perceived minorities. If more physician/patients are allowed to practice than maybe better care of patients would result.