Social Medical Model Disability

This essay highlights and discusses models of disability reflected in two separate articles (Appendices A and B). I will identify the models of disability they represent. Both have been recently featured in the Guardian newspaper and are stories on disabled people.

The social model suggests that it is the steps that are the issue not the wheelchair, as it is the steps which are disabling the person access, which is seen as a barrier. This model suggests that it is society disabling people through designing everything to meet the needs of the majority of people, who are not disabled. The social model believe that there is a great deal that society can do to reduce and ultimately remove, some of the barriers. This task is the responsibility of society rather then the person, as far as is reasonably practical – which by if it is a big organisation and it is financially possible and financially beneficial, then it would make sense to adapt and make provisions for disabled people to have access for example, wider doors,

The social model of disability looks at ways to address issues to enable people to achieve their potential, by looking at ways to adapt the environment so the child can feel included this is very important. The social model has been constructed by disabled people and by listening to what disabled people want and to remove any

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

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 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.

Understanding disability from a social model perspective can help us to recognise and challenge disabling

Looking back in the past, there have been many features, and true definitions of the word disability. In the 1970s a group called the Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation defined disability as the disadvantage or restriction of activity cased by social organizations. U.S disability activists made efforts during the 1970s to form different alliances with the disability community, that protested for the inclusion of disability discrimination under the Rehabilitation act. Thereafter there was a medial model at looking at disability, that views disability as an individual shortfall. In

There are many weaknesses of the medical model. One of the weaknesses that I am going to talk about is that in some cases people see the medical model as an insult due to the fact that the model tries to ‘fix’ people with a disability instead of making adjustments and adaptions to environments, activities etc… for them. Due to the fact that the medical model is trying to ‘fix’ tem, may seem to people that the ones with the disability cannot have a normal, healthy life like other people do who do not suffer with a disability. People may also feel like the medical model is saying that is the individual’s fault that they have a

“The social model of disability sees the issue of "disability" as a socially created problem and a matter of the full integration of individuals into society. In this model, disability is not the problem of the individual, but rather a complex collection of conditions, many of which are created by the social environment. Hence, the management of the problem requires social action and is the collective responsibility of society at large to make the environmental modifications necessary for the full

The development of different models of disability proposed diverse, and often opposite views on the relationships between the disabled people and the rest of the society (White et al., 2010). The ideas and models developed from the dependence model, that existed for a long time, to independent living model and transformation of the idea of caring for disabled (Cameron, 2014, p.21), to the idea of interdependence that, to some extent, is opposite to independence model (White et al., 2010).

First, in the article, Sarah talked about “There are two academic models of disability: the medical model, and the social model.” (Cantor) Later, she mentioned that the “The social model thinks that disability is rooted in society and its inability to accommodate certain bodies.” (Cantor) I would agree with her on this because in our society, there are people who have disabilities from birth, they usually will be discriminated by the society as someone whom cannot conduct regular activities individually, and they usually rely on others to help them. In most common cases I have seen, those who have disabilities usually are taken care by a caretaker and they cannot conduct their daily activities on their own. This usually leads to discrimination because the society will view these individuals as a burden for the society, which the government needs to spend extra money to hire caretakers to take care these individuals.

the medical model, where disability is viewed as an impairment to be cured or prevented. This view may significantly inform the kind of service and treatment doctors provide or recommend for these individuals. In fact, researchers and doctors themselves have voiced concerns that medical practitioners do not undergo sufficient training to address disability and sexuality (Barbuto & Napolitano, 2014; Gilmore & Malcolm, 2014). Doctors need to be well informed about the issues in this area and supportive of the rights of disabled people and their health care needs, especially when it comes to their sexual health, which medical training could improve. Medical professionals also require increased education about effectively communicating with these patients, as those with disabilities have often expressed frustration over being left out of conversations with their doctors about their health care. This neglect of the needs and desires of disabled people limits not only the ability of these individuals to access appropriate care, but also restricts their options for fully autonomous decision-making and informed consent (Foley, 2012; Gilmore & Malcolm, 2014).

The social model states that disability is caused by society, rather than a person’s impairment. It resolves to remove barriers, enabling independence and equality in society, giving the disabled control and choice over their own lives. (scope, 2016).

The term disability can be defined as any person who has a physical or mental impairment that limit or prevent the person from doing one or more things associated with activities of daily living. Also, some may add that those limitations may keep a person from living a full or a normal life. There are many previous and current issues related to people with disabilities that are still arising within our society. The three unique issues that stood out the most besides the usual ramps and accessible parking issues are, the institutional bias in long-term care, the employment gap and social security disability funding for disabled people.