The Social Model and the Medical Model: How they Implicate Disability
The term disability has been used to identify impairments that are the result of a disease or injury, the emotional, mental and/or physical limitations that an impairment imposes on a person’s life, as well as the environment and social barriers that discourage a person to participate in the activities of their choice. The models of disability have greatly influenced the development of disability, in terms of legislation and policies as well as quality of life (Altman, 2014). There are 2 main paradigms of literature that propose a theoretical approach of the numerous different discernments of disability; (Nicolaisen, Blichfeldt & Sonnenschein, 2012) the medical model of …show more content…
This model conveys the view that an individual with an impairment should receive treatment to become as normal as possible so that they can adapt to the society around them (Nicolaisen, Blichfeldt & Sonnenschein, 2012). According to Kristiansen, Vehmas & Shakespeare (2009) the medical model of disability focuses on an individual’s medical condition as the cause of disability, and that disability is a fixed condition which is associated with the severity of the medical impairment of the individual. The impairment is seen as permanent and the person will remain dependant for the rest of their lives. The medical model suggests that treatments, adjustments and cures of impairments are the most crucial priorities for people with disabilities (Kristiansen, Vehmas & Shakespeare, 2009). The medical model also proposes that a person is seen to be disabled due to the limitations of their body (impairments), this associates disability with impairment. The disability is seen as a biological trait and sees the need for physiological assistance and remediation of the effects of the disability (Nicolaisen, Blichfeldt & Sonnenschein, …show more content…
This model views disability as predominately politically constructed and categorized by the systematic barriers that society creates (Sisti, 2014). The social model of disability moves the focus away from the body (Rothman, 2010), and advocates that people are disabled by the impairments they have but by the disabling barriers of the society they live in (Oliver, 2013). The cause of disability is put back on the society and the political domains. The experiences of disability are not solely reliant on the medical impairment but rather as an experience that is dependent on how society is organised to accommodate for their medical impairment (Kristiansen, Vehmas & Shakespeare,
The term disability has been used to identify impairments that are the result of a disease or injury, the emotional, mental and/or physical limitations that an impairment imposes on a person’s life, as well as the environment and social barriers that discourage a person to participate in the activities of their choice. The models of disability have greatly influenced the development of disability, in terms of legislation and policies as well as quality of life (Altman, 2014). There are 2 main paradigms of literature that propose a theoretical approach of the numerous different discernments of disability; (Nicolaisen, Blichfeldt & Sonnenschein, 2012) the medical model of …show more content…
This model conveys the view that an individual with an impairment should receive treatment to become as normal as possible so that they can adapt to the society around them (Nicolaisen, Blichfeldt & Sonnenschein, 2012). According to Kristiansen, Vehmas & Shakespeare (2009) the medical model of disability focuses on an individual’s medical condition as the cause of disability, and that disability is a fixed condition which is associated with the severity of the medical impairment of the individual. The impairment is seen as permanent and the person will remain dependant for the rest of their lives. The medical model suggests that treatments, adjustments and cures of impairments are the most crucial priorities for people with disabilities (Kristiansen, Vehmas & Shakespeare, 2009). The medical model also proposes that a person is seen to be disabled due to the limitations of their body (impairments), this associates disability with impairment. The disability is seen as a biological trait and sees the need for physiological assistance and remediation of the effects of the disability (Nicolaisen, Blichfeldt & Sonnenschein, …show more content…
This model views disability as predominately politically constructed and categorized by the systematic barriers that society creates (Sisti, 2014). The social model of disability moves the focus away from the body (Rothman, 2010), and advocates that people are disabled by the impairments they have but by the disabling barriers of the society they live in (Oliver, 2013). The cause of disability is put back on the society and the political domains. The experiences of disability are not solely reliant on the medical impairment but rather as an experience that is dependent on how society is organised to accommodate for their medical impairment (Kristiansen, Vehmas & Shakespeare,