Compare And Contrast The Medical And Social Model Of Disability

The amount of people who live with disabilities is a controversial number. Depending on what law and diagnostic tools used, a person may have a visible disability, or one that may lie beneath the surface of his or her appearance. Some people believe that the term “disability” is merely a label use to hold back, or prescribe helplessness. Meanwhile, individuals who have been properly diagnosed with disabilities struggle to maintain respect and acceptance every day. In plain language, there is a lot of misunderstanding between people with disabilities and those without. It is firstly important to get everyone on the same page regarding the definition of disability.

3.3. Explain the social and medical models of disability and the impact of each on practice

By labelling a child because of there disability can prevent us as seeing the child as a whole person like their gender, culture and social background the medical models is a traditional view of disability and that through medical intervention the person can be cured where in fact in most cases there is no cure. They expect disabled people to change to fit into society.

1. Outline the history and development of the medical, social and psycho-social models of disability

The Social Model of disability came about through the disability movement and other organisation campaigning for equal rights, opportunities and choices for disabled people. The social model of disability recognises that any problem of disability are created by society and its institution and that The Discrimination Acts are tools to help to improve the response of society to disability, also a wheel chair user is not hampered by their disability but by lack of adequate access to buildings. The social model may impact upon our practise as we would provide inclusive environments as a starting point for all children. The Scope website stated ‘The social model of disability says that disability is caused by the way

The medical model of disability views disabilities as a problem that belongs to the disabled person. It is not seen as a problem that needs the concern of anyone else apart from the disabled individual affected, for example if a wheelchair user is unable to get into a building because there are steps then, the wheelchair is seen as the problem not the steps, according to the medical model.

It focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of the illness, however, in its most narrow form can sometimes fail to address some other important influences on health and wellbeing. The medical model is concerned with the pursuit of cures for the disease.

Society often focuses on what a person lacks in terms of disability and focuses on condition or illness or a person’s lack of ability. Medical model of disability which views adults has having an impairment or lacking in some way

The community model focuses on society as being a barrier for the individual. Society should modify and adapt to improve the lives of disabled individuals. The improvement is based on what the society can do to make daily functioning easier for the individual, rather than the individual being solely responsible for their improvement despite social barriers they encounter.

The ‘medical model’ (Beecher, 2009), also called the ‘biomedical model’ (Germov, 2009), basis its beliefs on the theory that there is not a connection between the mind and the body (Sarafino & Smith, 2014) and illness is caused by ‘biological’ (Germov, 2009) factors that can be diagnosed and treated with medications (Germov, 2009). The biomedical model becomes problematic when applied to the treatment of mental health illness due to the cause being widely unknown and so how can mental illness be successfully treated using this model? Social factors that may have a contributory effect or allowance for preventative measures to be implemented are also not taken into consideration with the ‘medical model’ (Germov,

Disability in a socio-cultural context can be defined as "a barrier to participation of people with impairments or chronic illnesses arising from an interaction of the impairment or illness with discriminatory attitudes, cultures, policies or institutional practices" (Booth, 2000). The traditional view of disability often focuses on the individual, highlighting incapacities or failings, a defect, or impairment. This focus creates obstacles to participation on equal terms since an individual who seems to lack certain capacities may not be able to attain autonomy.

The dominant model of disability for the majority of the 20th century was the medical model. The medical model’s emphasis is on impairment; this is the cause of the disadvantage disabled individuals face and therefore the site of interventions (Crow, 1996). It is based in the biomedical and clinical. It views disability as a personal tragedy, an idea which is often implicit in work around disability based on the medical model. (Oliver, 1990).

The labelling theory are the actions of individuals who are labelled or seen as deviant. The theorist Becker suggests labelling theories which is to look beyond by just the norm-breaking act but instead focuses on how society view people who are deemed as deviant in this case physically disabled and reactions from society whether it is good or bad. Physical disability is when a person lost full or partial loss of their bodily functions. Labelling perspective is still relevant in our society and for society to be able to look beyond the norm breaking; society needs to develop an understanding about the difference between ‘disabilities’. Stigma labels may produce the deviant behaviour that is being condemned and therefore individuals can ‘become’ the thing that they are ‘labelled’ as. ‘Stigma are bodily traits, marks or features that are in some way unusual’. Which can occur as a consequence for social rejection.

Prior to the course, Perspectives on disability, my understanding of disability was a fundamental, concept of disability, in which I knew it existed, and also have seen and interacted with people considered to have a disability. I never took a deep look at all the social and political factors that exist within the spectrum of disability. This course has allowed me to examine all aspects of disability, which has changed my view and approach of what a disability is and how it is viewed. "Historically, disability has been viewed fundamentally as a persoal tragedy, which has resulted in diasbled people being seen as objects of pity or in need of charity. They have been subject to descriminatory policies and practices in which the predominant images of passivity and helplesness reinforced their inferior status"(Barton 4). Uncovering the framework of disability, by studying the historical, soicial political and educational standpoint, I see the intricacies in which gives me a greater understanding and awareness of the topic.

As the fields of medicine, psychology and education have evolved, interest in the degree of impairment an individual may experience in a given situation, regardless of diagnosis, has grown. A recent Google search revealed thousands of relevant books and scientific articles addressing impairments caused secondary to physical, mental health and educational conditions.