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THE SOCIAL MODEL AND THE MEDICAL MODELS OF DISABILITY
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MODELS OF DISABILITY
Updated and revised (Jan 2007)for My Work Based Experience on the PGCE when teaching on BA(Hons) Community Studies Level 2 Module 'The Politics of Disability and Independent Living'.
WHO Classification of Disability
Impairment
any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function.
Disability
any restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.
Handicap
a disadvantage for a given individual, resulting from an impairment or disability, that limits or prevents the fulfilment of a role that is normal (depending on age, sex and social and cultural factors) for that individual.
Barnes et al (1999) [are amongst the critics of this definition; they make several points including:
• How do we define abnormality and normality?
• It doesn't say anything about environmental factors;
• because disability and handicap are caused by psychological and physiological impairments there has been a focus on 'cure' by psychological and medical intervention.
The WHO is considering releasing a second version of this definition which include a fourth category of environmental effects. However, disabled people's groups and disability activists say that the definition needs completely rewriting.
(DEMOS website)
Union of Physically Impaired Against Segregation (UPIAS)
Disabled people's organisations have suggested alternative definitions. The one that is most relevant to today's usages in the UK is that put forward by the Union of Physically Impaired Against Segregation (UPIAS).
The UPIAS defined impairment as:
lacking all or part of a limb or having a defective limb, organism or mechanism of the body.
(The definition is limited to physical impairments because that was the focus of the organisation at the time.)
More importantly it changes the focus of definitions of disability away from the individual.
Disability is defined as:
The disadvantage or restriction caused by a contemporary social organisation which takes no or little account of people who have physical impairments and thus excludes them from the mainstream of social activities.
Therefore disabled people are people with impairments who are disabled by barriers in society.
The central theme of the definition that disability is external to the individual and is a result of environmental and social factors, has been widely accepted by organisations representing disabled people and forms the backbone of the social model of disability.
THE MEDICAL MODEL OF DISABILITY
Victor Finkelstein (2002) asserts that the social model of disability was UPIAS in 1975. and that Sociologist Michael Oliver (1981) promoted a more clearly expressed version of the UPIAS interpretation.
The Medical Model of disability locates disability in the body (or condition/pathology) which needs to be treated, remedied, cared for and cured. The aim is to remove the disability by changing the person with the key focus on rehabilitation and normalising the individual.
For example Ritalin is given to cure hyperactivity and change it into a more ‘socially acceptable’ behaviour; When parents and professionals run support groups because adults with dyspraxia are seen as overgrown children who can’t manage to run a group competently; where disabled people need to be ‘helped’ rather than empowered.
Dixon
“Disability therefore is viewed as something equal to illness.
The medical model places a value judgement on activities. It decides what is normal.”
• Medical model services for disabled people include
• segregated services
• welfare benefits,
• sheltered workshops and day services,
• special schools,
• special transport,
• sheltered housing,
• occupational therapy,
• physiotherapists,
• doctors and social workers to help the person to cope.
Labels are given to a disabled person such as “Clumsy Child syndrome.” Dyspraxia, D.C.D., A.D.D, DAMP, Cerebral Palsy, Autism, paraplegic, brain damaged etc. these labels are used to segregate a person from society labelling and institutionalization, instead of using the label to identify the barriers that need removing in order for the inclusion of disabled people into society.
THE SOCIAL MODEL
Oliver sees the social model as a challenge to values set by the medical model. Independence is about control and choice, but in the UK care and finance is given by the State. The social model claims that it is not the condition/impairment that caused the 'problem', but the way in which society fails to make allowances for individual differences. It explains disablement as the result of behaviour or barriers, which prevent people with impairments choosing to take part in life and society.
For example a person living with dyspraxia being redeployed into a very busy office without adapting the job to overcome barriers such as finding rooms to deliver faxes, colour coding the filing system appropriately and reducing distractions. This would therefore cause that person to lose their job and rely on incapacity benefit.
• The social model argues that society causes
• lack of financial independence,
• negative attitudes,
• labelling language,
• isolation and segregation,
• prejudice,
• fear and ignorance,
• lack of anti-discrimination legislation,
• adapted housing ‘ghettoisim,
• unemployment,
• over protective families,
• lack of access,
• social myths e.g. dyslexics are stupid, children grow out of dyspraxia, disabled people are bitter and twisted, all people with Asperger’s Syndrome have no sense of humour and are computer nerds.
• lack of education and underachievement
• charities offensive image of disabled people.
Some people who live with dyspraxia may argue that dyspraxia is not an impairment but a difference in which society's diabling barrires cause this difference to become a disabilty.
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