BADP

MODELS OF DISABILITY.

Most people think they know what disability is. They use words like “Deaf, Blind, cripple”. People also tend to think that disability has always been thought of in the same way.  This is not true.  Ideas about disability and the language we use have changed over time.

Models:  A model is another word for a theory.  We use models to try to understand complicated situations.  They may also suggest what we should do.  We use models all the time.  We have scientific models like models for global warming.  If we have a theory that greenhouse gases cause global warming, then, we need to cut down greenhouse gases to stop this.  If we had a theory that global warming was caused by the sun getting hotter or colder over time, we wouldn’t have to do anything.

Another example of a model would be ideas about our friends’ personalities.  If we think that Tom is mean and Rita is generous, we are likely to ask Rita for a fiver if we need the money!

The important thing is that the ideas or models we have about things make a real difference.  It’s also important to remember that models can change.  We might realise that Tom is really generous.  We didn’t  know about greenhouse gases a few years ago.  Disability is the same. We have theories about what it is.  These theories or models influence what we do about it.

In books, there are different models of disability.  We will describe three very important models.  As one way of showing how different each model is, it is useful to answer the following questions for each model:

What language does the model use to describe disability?

Whose problem is disability?

Who uses the model?

What is the model used for?

Who holds power?

SERVICES MODEL

We use the term ‘services model’ to combine two models that you might come across.  These two models are the medical model and the administrative model.

The medical model is often misunderstood.  People think it just applies to doctors or the health service. The term ‘administrative model’ is less well-known and there is an overlap with the medical model.  So our term combines both.

The services model is used to decide who is eligible for public services and benefits. It is used by Local and Central government, Health and Social Services, and the DSS. It describes disability both in terms of specific diseases or conditions and disability is measured against an implied standard of ‘normality’. Terms like diagnosis, treatment, cure, and assessment come from this approach.  Power lies with the ‘professionals’ who set the standards for provision and do the assessing.  Advocates of this approach would claim it is a fair way to run a system with limited resources.

Critics say that the model wrongly identifies disability with illness; It gives little power to disabled people; It measures disabled people against an arbitrary set of standards rather than recognising that disabled people live in terms of a culture that is separate but equally valid.

TRAGEDY MODEL

This approach sees disability in terms of an individual’s fate and struggle.  In a theatrical tragedy, there is a central character who is both hero and victim.  A theatrical tragedy is also supposed to arouse profound emotions of ‘wonder’ and ‘terror’. When disability is understood as tragedy, words or phrases like ‘brave, courageous, amazing, over-coming Disability’ reflect the heroic side.  ‘Suffering, terrible, poor thing, I would hate to be you’ portray the disabled person as victim.

The tragedy model is mainly identified with charities and their advertising.  It is used to raise funds for the work of charities. Power lies with the charities that create the images of disability.  Defenders of this approach say that funds need to be raised to provide services and conduct research that would otherwise not get done.

Critics say that the price disabled people pay is too high.  Most disabled people are neither superheroes nor suffering victims, but trying to live ordinary lives.  Money is raised through provoking emotions of guilt and fear. People may make contributions, but are likely to keep away from disabled people in their daily lives.  There may even be an underlying hatred and hostility towards disabled people.

SOCIAL MODEL

This model defines disability as ‘Discrimination through impairment’.  In other words, if there was no discrimination, there would be no disability!  A person is disabled by the barriers that Society puts up.  These barriers are physical, organisational, and attitudinal. Instead of asking what is wrong with an individual, the Social model asks what is wrong with the system. The whole of society needs to be structured to include everyone.  Disabled people should not be brought in as a kind of afterthought.  Why isn’t there proper transport, sign language, Braille, housing in the community?

This model is used by organisations of disabled people and disability campaigners. The model calls for ‘choices and rights’.  It demands strong anti-discriminatory legislation.  Advocates of the Social model say it puts power in the hands of disabled people.  Disabled people define disability and say what should be done.

Critics say that the approach is unrealistic.  There are no absolute standards for disability. Society does not have the resources to implement the social model.

Tom Reid