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ID: White figure of doll in the shape of human body sitting with bent knees. Hands resting on knees. Around figure there are 7 question marks in a circle all different colours: green, red, blue, red, purple, yellow and orange.

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Disability does not exist in a vacuum and there is no single way to encompass the diverse ways we experience disability. The Models of Disability are complex and have been explored from many different angles. The Models of Disability were first discussed in the late 1990's.  Since then, the political landscape has changed. Critical Disability Studies has evolved over the last few decades. Advocates have been concerned about what has been missing from widespread theories about disability.

The Critical Disability Studies perspective is also the first to understand disability as an identity.

Critical Disability Studies is revisiting some of the earlier theories with a broader scope to include intersecting identities, such as indigenous perspectives, trans-activism, queer, non-binary, rurality, race theory, class divisions, feminist theory and more.

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Provocations for Critical Disability Studies by Dan Goodley, Rebecca Lawthorne, Kristy Liddard & Kathryn Runswick-Cole 

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Provocations for Critical Disability Studies by Dan Goodley, Rebecca Lawthorne, Kristy Liddard & Kathryn Runswick-Cole 

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'Provocations for Critical Disability Studies' further explores the reasons why Critical Disability Studies is evolving.

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Provocations for Critical Disability Studies

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Electric Shock Therapy, From: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

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ID: Black and white photo. Two people in old fashioned nurse's outfits, white hats and gowns, are holding down a person on a bed. A person in a dark suit is working on a large black machine connected to the person on the bed.

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ID: Holiday photo. Gold background with green border. On left Easter Seals Ontario Logo with text underneath that reads Helping Kids with Disabilities Succeed. On right child sitting in wheelchair wearing red dress and red bow tied in hair.

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The Charity Model of Disability reinforces the idea that disability is a problem located within a person, and takes it further by emphasizing view of disability as a tragedy.

Advocates are concerned because of the narratives that the charity model offers. Charities typically market by using images that invoke sadness and pity. These images shape the way that people, including service providers, view people with disabilities.

The Charity Model of Disability is also problematic because the funds do not typically go towards social justice, the funds typical go towards medical research and initiatives focused on curing disability.

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The Medical Model of Disability understands disability as being caused by a medical problem that needs to be fixed.  The entire medical field has allocated a large amount of resources towards finding cures for disability.

The Medical Model has been widely adopted by disability service providers. Many people labelled as having intellectual disabilities have had to live their lives being told they need to be 'fixed' and that they need to take responsibility for 'fixing' who they are.

The Medical Model can inspire drastic measures in the name of a cure and eradicating disability, such as invasive treatments and life-altering therapies.

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From: Australian Council for Human Rights Education. 

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ID: Black and white drawing of person sitting in wheelchair at the bottom of steps. Sign in front of him reads Way In with an arrow pointing up the stairs.

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The Social Model of Disability proposes that disability is situated in the environment around the labelled person, rather than something that comes from within.

The Social Model of Disability does not deny that body-differences (what the Social Model refers to as 'impairments') exist, however, the body-mind differences are not the issue. The physical and social barriers are the issue, for instance, a person with low vision is not unable to read a book because of their vision. They are unable to read because the book is not offered in alternative formats, such as Braille, large print, audio version, etc. From a Social Model perspective, it is the barriers that  people with body-mind differences face, rather than the differences themselves.

"Declaring disability as a matter of social justice is an important part of resistance—disability residing not in paralysis but in stairs without an accompanying ramp, not in blindness but in the lack of braille and audio books, not in dyslexia but in teaching models unwilling to flex" (Clare, 2017, pp.12-13).

The Social Model has had a powerful influence on how we have come to understand disability, primarily because it takes the emphasis off the individual with the body-mind difference. Instead, the Social Model puts responsibility for the problem on social, physical, attitudinal barriers as disabling the individual. It has been useful in challenging commonly held beliefs about disability that promote stereotypes used to justify harmful actions towards disabled people.

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The Social Model of Disability by National Disability Arts Collection and Archive (NCDA)

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The Social Model of Disability by National Disability Arts Collection and Archive (NCDA)

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For further information and examples, please watch the video below.

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Understanding Disability: Part 4 – The Charity Model

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Understanding Disability: Part 4 – The Charity Model

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Please read this article provided by Drake Music.

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Understanding Disability: Part 4 – The Charity Model | Drake Music

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This is part 4 in a 6-part blog series by Nim Ralph aimed at helping you to understand Disability.

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The Medical Model of Disability by Manchester Disabled Peoples Group. 

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The Medical Model of Disability by Manchester Disabled Peoples Group. 

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Please read the above article to further your understanding of the Medical Model of Disability.

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the Medical Model of Disability" is a way of explaining how some people and organisations understand disability and how disabled people are treated but is not considered to be an inclusive approach to disabled people.

This explains ways in which disabled people are stereotyped or judged, when a person is placed at the centre as the "problem". The person is considered "defective", "different" or "not normal" and is often described or believed to be:

Much of this language is very negative and does not really describe the experience of disabled people. All of us in society need a doctor and all kinds of help at different times throughout our lives but many people, especially many professionals believe that they "know best", do not always treat disabled people with respect, don't listen to their views and experience and don't consider discussing options and decisions directly with them.

For more information, training, and discussions around these issues, contact your local disabled people's group or contact us at admin@mdpag.org.uk

Acknowledgements: This version of the medical model of disability has been adapted from models developed by Unison NW and Pam Thomas.

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the Medical Model of Disability" is a way of explaining how some people and organisations understand disability and how disabled people are treated but is not considered to be an inclusive approach to disabled people. This explains ways in which disabled people are stereotyped or judged, when a person is placed at the centre as the "problem".