{"id":1353,"date":"2019-04-24T06:27:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-24T06:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/assignmenttask.com\/answers\/?p=1353"},"modified":"2020-01-16T20:21:40","modified_gmt":"2020-01-16T20:21:40","slug":"the-social-and-medical-model-of-disability-in-academic-literature-questions-answers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/assignmenttask.com\/answers\/the-social-and-medical-model-of-disability-in-academic-literature-questions-answers\/","title":{"rendered":"The Social and Medical Model Of Disability in Academic Literature Questions & Answers"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is disability?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are a number of \u2018models\u2019 of disability in academic literature. The two most often mentioned are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The Medical model<\/strong>: this view sees disability as a \u2018problem\u2019 belonging to the individual affected. E.g. if a wheelchair user had difficulty getting up steps, the problem is seen as to do with the individual\u2019s wheelchair not the steps.<\/li>\n
  2. The Social model: this view claims that disability is in some sense a social construction. It is society that \u2018disables\u2019 an individual. In the example, the steps are a disabling barrier; they can be changed\/adapted to enable the individual to have access.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"Social

    \n

      \n
    1. The Medical Model of disability rests on biomedical knowledge. It sees disability as primarily about an individual\u2019s physiology, and aims to cure or lessen the impact of the disability, mainly with medical interventions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      The focus on this model is on curing or managing disabled bodies. It sees them as impaired & needing correction\/cure. They are \u2018deviant\u2019 from the norm. (Ref: Baggott (2004)<\/p>\n

      It assumes justice is achieved through allocating enough resources to curing\/managing disabled bodies; to enable living more \u2018normal\u2019 lives\/having a better \u2018quality of life\u2019.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. The Social Model of disability came from disabled people themselves. It claims that disability is caused by the way society is organised, rather than by an individual\u2019s impairment or difference.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        The focus on this model is on removing the barriers that hinder and restrict the life choices of disabled individuals.<\/p>\n

        It assumes justice is achieved through removing systemic barriers, negative attitudes & exclusionary practices towards disabled people in society.<\/p>\n

        In 1975 the UK Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation (UPIAS) said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u201cIn our view it is society which disables physically impaired people. Disability is something imposed on top of our impairments by the way we are unnecessarily isolated & excluded from full participation in society.\u201d<\/p>\n

        Ref: UPIAS (1975), Fundamental Principles of Disability<\/p>\n

        ALSO: 1983 Mike Oliver (disabled academic) coined the phrase \u2018social model of disability\u2019. There are ongoing academic & activist debates.<\/p>\n

        Disability & Equality<\/strong><\/h2>\n

        Disability rights: the struggle for equality<\/p>\n

        Disability activists have used the slogan:<\/p>\n

        \u201cNothing about Us without Us\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

        What does this mean? It\u2019s saying that no policy should be decided without the full & direct participation of members of the group(s) affected by that policy.<\/p>\n

        Ref: Charlton, J. (1998), Nothing about Us without Us, University of California Press<\/p>\n

        The Social Model of disability argues for changes in society at the level of the environment, social attitudes, law & policy It claims that trying to \u2018fix\u2019 or cure individuals is discriminatory, devalues individuals, & can result in unjust harms to disabled individuals, including mental health harms, e.g. :<\/p>\n