Three Models of Disability

Introduction to the three main models of disability: the Moral Model, the Medical Model, and the Socio-Political (Minority) Model with discussion of weaknesses. The video also introduces the concept of ideology and social construct. Expand for accessible script ↓
ACCESSIBLE SCRIPT
Panel 1
The way our society explains disability has a lot to do with how we behave and react to disabled people.
Others: “That poor woman!”
Others: “We should pray for her.”
Others: “I wonder if surgery would help?”
Wheelchair user: “I just need a ramp to get into this building…”
Panel 2
There are three models we use to inform our ideology about disability:
• Moral Model of Disability
• Medical Model of Disability
• Socio-Political (or Minority Model of Disability
Let’s take a look at each one.
Panel 3: The Moral Model of Disability
People who use this model believe that disability is the result of some divine influence. The influence could be good or evil. For example, people who use the moral model might say things like:
• “Disability is a curse” (evil influence)
• “She’s disabled but she’s a gift to our family.” (divine influence)
• “God put him here to help me be a better parent” (divine influence)
Panel 4: Problems with The Moral Model
People may not look beyond divine interventions and miss practical ways to solve problems.
Others: “I’ll pray for you.”
Wheelchair user: “Actually, I’d be fine if the church had a ramp.”
Panel 5: The Medical Model of Disability
The Medical Model is the most common influence on disability ideology. People who use the medical model see disability as a diagnosis that can be “fixed.” A person operating under the Medical Model might say, “she can’t play on the playground because she’s paraplegic.” In truth, she can’t play on the playground because her wheelchair can’t roll over mulch.
Panel 6: Problems with The Medical Model
Under the Medical Model, limitations are based on what’s “wrong” with the person. This model does not help us look at social and environmental barriers.
Panel 7: Examples of Barriers
Social: Excluding children with autism from a summer program because of their behavioral needs.
Environmental: requiring a wheelchair user to transfer to a transport chair to board an airline flight.
Panel 8: Problems with The Medical Model
The Medical Model also assumes that if the problem is within the person, it’s up to the person to “fix” it. This can result in therapies, surgeries, prosthetics, and other procedures designed to help fit in.
Panel 9: the Socio-Political Model of Disability
Also called the Minority Model, this model is based on the idea that disability is a social construct. But what’s a “social construct?”
Panel 10
A social construct is a way of looking at something based on agreement within a group. For example, American society agrees that a calendar year has 12 months. Many Asian societies base their calendars on lunar cycles. In that sense, calendars are social constructs.
Panel 11
Here’s another example… 1,000 years ago, someone who was extremely nearsighted might have been identified as disabled. While glasses wearers still face challenges, the use of glasses to correct vision is common. As a result, we don’t tend to stigmatize glasses wearers as “disabled.”
Panel 12
The Socio-Political model of disability says that if societies changed to support people with disabilities rather than exclude this minority group, the idea of a disability would no longer exist in our society.
Panel 13: The Socio-Political Model of Disability
This model has been highly successful in advocacy because it focuses on civil rights. The socio-political definition of disability is at the core of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other civil rights policy.
Panel 14: Problems with The Socio-Political Model
People experience disability differently. For example, a person with a cognitive disability will have a different experience from a person with a physical disability. These different lived experiences can fragment approaches toward inclusion.
Panel 15: Conclusion
We explored three models of disability: Moral, Medical, and Socio-Political. While none of the models are perfect, understanding them can help us become more sensitive to working with disabled people.
Panel 16: To Learn More
Nario-Redmond, M.R. (2020). Ableism: The causes and consequences of Disability Prejudice
Owens, J. (2015). Exploring the critiques of the social model of disability: the transformative possibility of Arendt’s notion of power, Sociology of Health and Illness, V37(3). pp 385-403
Scotch, R.K. (2000). Models of disability and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law. V21(1). pp 213-222
Panel 17: Thank You for Watching
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[@bridgetjolley56]

Looks like a lot of effort went into this video, and there are some very valid points. However, it's very disappointing that this video is inaccessible for a lot of people. There is no audio for people with print disabilities.

[@socialworktechwriter]

You're absolutely correct, Bridget. I've been working on adding audio to my videos and print scrips that you can download and put through a reader device, but haven't gotten back to this video yet. Here's an example of what I've been working on lately. I'd love to hear what you think! ==> kfitchdesign.com/index.php/disabilities-diversity-inclusion/

[@rotisseriepossum]

@@socialworktechwriter what if for now you include a transcript of the video in a pinned comment? that way it's easily readable at one's own pace, and it can be put through some text-to-speech software if needed

[@user-xx4vg4or6s]

I'm not a disabled person, I'm a person with a disability!

[@jenofia8499]

😇😇😇😇😇tq