Basic Concepts and Theoretical Models of Disability Flashcards
What percentage of people have a disability?
Roughly 1 in every 5 people (about 20%) has a disability of some kind.
What are assistive technologies for blindness?
- Screen readers
- Refreshable Braille devices
What are assistive technologies for low vision?
- Screen enlargers
- Screen readers
What are assistive technologies for color blindness?
- Color enhancement overlays
- Color enhancement glasses
What are assistive technologies for deafness?
- Captions
- Transcripts
What are assistive technologies for motor/mobility disabilities?
- Head wand
- Mouth stick
- Alternative keyboards
- Eye gaze tracking
- Voice Activation
What are assistive technologies for cognitive disabilities?
- Screen readers
- Screen overlays
- Augmentative communication aids
True or False: The Internet is an important part of the solution for disability access.
True
True or False: There are many forms of disabilities that are not obvious to an observer.
True
What is the medical model?
- Defines disability in terms of biological impairments
- Disability viewed as a problem that is caused by medically-diagnosed genetic disorders, disease, trauma, or other health conditions
- Disability is treated as a biological problem that diminishes quality of life
- Disability is viewed as needing to be treated with professional medical care.
What are the strengths of the medical model?
- Acknowledges biological condition that places an individual at a disadvantage compared to the majority of the population
- Clearly-defined set of criteria helps inform decisions about who receives government assistance
- Helps medical professionals make important decisions in terms of treatment.
What are the weaknesses of the medical model?
- Focuses exclusively on the biology of the person - overlooks the impact of the design decisions in our social environment
- Assigns disability as a characteristic of an individual person - stigmatizes person as different or less than. This causes psychological harm.
- People who do not fit within the clearly-defined definitions may be denied benefits they need. Definitions may be too narrow and exclusive.
- Having to prove a disability adds bureaucracy to their lives.
- Having to provide your disability can be dehumanizing.
What is the social model?
- Direct response to the medical model
- Society creates disabling conditions. “Disability” is an avoidable condition caused by poor design
- Emphasizes human rights of people with disabilities to participate in society in meaningful ways
What are the strengths of the social model?
- Empowers people with disabilities by removing the stigma often associated with physical impairments
- Expectation is that society creates inclusive environments - not that people with disabilities need to have a lower quality of life because they do not conform to “normal” expectations
- We get better designs for everyone. Empowers designers of physical and virtual environments to think broadly about usability for all kinds of humans
What are the weaknesses of the social model?
- Can de-emphasize the physical reality of a disability too much. Disability is an important part of identity and should not be minimized.
- Accepting and “owning” one’s disability can be very healthy from an emotional and psychological perspective
What is the functional solutions model?
- Takes practical approach to disability
- Identifies limitation, functional impairments that result from a disability
- Seeks solutions to eradicate limitations - through technology or methodology
- Less focus on social and political aspects
- Greater focus on applying innovation to overcoming limitations of disability
What are the strengths of the functional solutions model?
- Focused on results to benefit people with disabilities
- Does not get hung up on theoretical or political questions
- Puts energy into ideas and innovations to improve lives
- Emphasis on building accessible environments and getting things done
What are the weaknesses of the functional solutions model?
- Not all technology is the best solution
- If we’re too focused on technology, we may miss opportunities to address the larger social context
- Addressing the larger social context can work so well that a tech solution might not be needed or becomes obsolete
What is the social identity or cultural affiliation model?
- People with disabilities may develop a sense of personal identity through consorting with others who share similar life experiences based on their disability
- Shared culture based on shared experiences
What are the strengths of the cultural affiliation model?
- Self-Acceptance and Empowerment - accepting disability is good for well-being. Network of friends can be valuable on a personal level
- Political Strength: Gain political strength by forming alliances and advocacy network. Better to work together toward change.
What are the weaknesses of the cultural affiliation model?
- Not good for technical definitions of disability - people with different (or no) disabilities may view themselves as part of the same social group
- Strongly identifying with other people with disabilities may partly be a result of feeling excluded from the rest of society
What is the charity or tragedy model?
- Treats disabilities as unfortunate or tragic conditions worthy of special treatment
- People without disabilities take pity on those with disabilities and set up fundraisers, projects, assistance, and other interventions to improve the condition of those with disabilities
What are the strengths of the charity or tragedy model?
- Create sense of empathy
- Inspire them to assist people with disabilities
What are the weaknesses of the charity or tragedy model?
- Encourages unequal social and political relationships between people - may slow down progress for people with disabilities
What is the affirmation model?
- Similar to the social identity or cultural affiliation model
- Encourages people with disabilities to affirm their identity and feel comfortable with who they are
- Celebrates everything about their physical identity
What is the sociopolitical model?
- Activist model that emphasizes the need for human rights for people with disabilities
What is the religious or moral model?
- Assumes that disabilities are given to people as a punishment
- May be seen as a condition given by God to teach a lesson or to test the person
What is the expert model?
- Variation of the medical model
- Disabilities are meant to be treated and managed by people with expertise and credentials
What is the rehabilitation model?
- Variation of the medical model
- Emphasis on therapy or rehabilitation for the person with a disability
What is the economic model?
- Emphasis on political power through collective economic action
- People with disabilities can influence the market by choosing to not spend their money with certain businesses
- Use money to drive change
