Domain One A

Question 1

Identify prominent theoretical models of disability.

What are the 7 most common models?

Answer 1

1. Medical Model
2. Social Model
3. Biopsychosocial Model
4. Economic Model
5. Functional Solutions Model
6. Social Identity or Cultural Affiliation Model
7. Charity Model

Question 2

Describe their basic concepts

Describe the Medical Model

definitions

Answer 2

Disabled World: “The medical model is presented as viewing disability as a problem of the person, directly caused by disease, trauma, or other health condition which therefore requires sustained medical care provided in the form of individual treatment by professionals. In the medical model, management of the disability is aimed at a ‘cure,’ or the individual’s adjustment and behavioral change that would lead to an ‘almost-cure’ or effective cure. In the medical model, medical care is viewed as the main issue, and at the political level, the principal response is that of modifying or reforming health care policy.”

US National Institutes of Health: “One result of the common medical understanding of disability is that people with disabilities often report feeling excluded, undervalued, pressured to fit a questionable norm, and / or treated as if they were globally incapacitated. People with disabilities often express frustration when they are met with pitying attitudes or incredulity if they speak about anything positive related to living with their conditions.”

Question 3

Describe their basic concepts

Describe the Social Model

definitions

Answer 3

Disabled World: “The social model of disability sees the issue of ‘disability’ as a socially created problem and a matter of the full integration of individuals into society. In this model, disability is not an attribute of an individual, but rather a complex collection of conditions, many of which are created by the social environment. Hence, the management of the problem requires social action and is the collective responsibility of society at large to make the environmental modifications necessary for the full participation of people with disabilities in all areas of social life. The issue is both cultural and ideological, requiring individual, community, and large-scale social change. From this perspective, equal access for someone with an impairment / disability is a human rights issue of major concern.”

Question 4

Describe their basic concepts

Describe the Biopsychosocial Model

definitions

Answer 4

Physio-Pedia: “The Biopsychosocial Model of disability is an attempt to account for both the social and biomedical models of disability. First conceptualized by George Engel in 1977, it suggests that to understand a person’s medical condition it is not simply the biological factors that need to be considered, but also the psychological and social factors:
* Bio (physiological pathology)
* Psycho (thoughts, emotions, and behaviours such as psychological distress, fear/avoidance beliefs, current coping methods and attribution)
* Social (socio-economical, socio-environmental, and cultural factors such as work issues, family circumstances and benefits/economics)”
In 2002, the World Health Organization published the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The ICF describes the complex phenomenon of disability and integrates the social and medical models. It is derived from the biopsychosocial model of disability.

Question 5

Describe their basic concepts

Describe the Economic Model

definitions

Answer 5

Disabled World: “The economic model of disability defines disability by a person’s inability to participate in work. It also assesses the degree to which impairment affects an individual’s productivity and the economic consequences for the individual, employer, and the state. Such consequences include loss of earnings for and payment for assistance by the individual; lower profit margins for the employer; and state welfare payments. This model is directly related to the charity model.”

The economic model is used by policymakers in the context of determining and assessing disability benefits.

Question 6

Describe their basic concepts

Describe the Functional Solutions Mode

definitions

Answer 6

Handwiki : “The functional solutions model of disability is a practical perspective that identifies the limitations (or “functional impairments”) due to disability, with the intent to create and promote solutions to overcome those limitations. The primary task is to eliminate, or at least reduce, the impact of the functional limitations of the body through technological or methodological innovation.”

The work of accessibility professionals can be viewed through the lens of this model.

Question 7

Describe their basic concepts

Describe the Social Identity or Cultural Affiliation Model

definitions

Answer 7

The social identity or cultural affiliation model refers to a sense of deriving one’s personal identity from membership within a group of like-minded individuals. This model is most evident among people who are deaf. Deaf culture and identity owe much of its strengths to the somewhat exclusive nature of being a part of a close-knit linguistic minority.

Other people with disabilities may also feel a sense of belonging to a community with common life experiences.

Question 8

Describe their basic concepts

Describe the Charity Model

definitions

Answer 8

The charity model regards people with disabilities as unfortunate and in need of outside help. People providing charity are viewed as benevolent contributors to a needy population. It is related to the medical model, treating disability as an individual problem, and to the economic model in that it views disability in terms of the economic consequences to the individual.

Question 9

Understand their strengths and weaknesses

What are the Strengths of the Medical Model?

Answer 9

The medical model can address the biological sources of disabilities, either by clinically curing them or providing ways to medically manage conditions. The medical component of disabilities is a critical reality for many people.

Question 10

Understand their strengths and weaknesses

What are the Strengths of the Social Model?

Answer 10

The social model’s focus on the disabling conditions in society and the environment emphasizes that barriers and challenges experienced by people with disabilities are not inevitable, nor exclusively a characteristic of an individual’s “broken” body. Societies can improve the lives of people with disabilities considerably by ensuring the world is designed to accommodate a wide range of human characteristics and abilities.

Question 11

Understand their strengths and weaknesses

What are the Strengths of the Biopsychosocial Model?

Answer 11

The biopsychosocial model can be used in situations related to rehabilitation. Within the medical model, doctors traditionally focus on medical cures and areas of pathology and impairment. This medical approach stands in contrast to the participation-based approach of health and social care professionals. In the biopsychosocial model, a rehabilitation team would integrate both aspects to develop a support intervention that accounts for both a person’s medical and social situation.

Question 12

Understand their strengths and weaknesses

What are the Strengths of the Economic Model?

Answer 12

The economic model recognizes the effect of bodily limitations on a person’s ability to work, and that may require economic support and / or accommodations for the person’s disability.

Question 13

Understand their strengths and weaknesses

What are the Strengths of the Functional Solutions Model?

Answer 13

This model is results oriented. It seeks to solve real-world challenges, attends to the needs of people in their own circumstances and is based on providing services.

Question 14

Understand their strengths and weaknesses

What are the Strengths of the Social Identity or Cultural Affiliation Model?

Answer 14

The social identity or cultural affiliation model accepts the person’s disability completely and uses it as a point of pride in associating with other people in a similar condition.

Question 15

Understand their strengths and weaknesses

What are the Strengths of the Charity Model?

Answer 15

The charity model can inspire people to contribute their time and / or resources to provide help when it is genuinely needed.

Question 16

Understand their strengths and weaknesses

What are the weaknesses of the Medical Model?

Answer 16

The medical model treats disability as a problem or inherent characteristic of the individual. It seeks a cure or medical management of a bodily condition. The medical model often overlooks issues caused by unwelcoming or inaccessible environments or “broader sociopolitical constraints including attitudes, policies and (lack of) regulations.”

Question 17

Understand their strengths and weaknesses

What are the weaknesses of the Social Model?

Answer 17

The social model of disability can downplay the embodied aspects of disabilities, as if disability has nothing to do with bodily characteristics at all. The social model’s push for social justice in the political arena can also put activists at odds with people with other political interests, antagonizing relationships and sometimes creating resolute political adversaries.

Question 18

Understand their strengths and weaknesses

What are the weaknesses of the Biopsychosocial Model?

Answer 18

There are fears that the combination of health aspects with the social model in the World Health Organisation International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) would lead to a definition of disability as only being the result of societal factors, thus downplaying the medical needs of people with disabilities. The classification is also complex, which could lead to difficulties in implementation.

Question 19

Understand their strengths and weaknesses

What are the weaknesses of the Economic Model?

Answer 19

The economic model creates a legally defined category of people who are needy, which can be stigmatizing. Additionally, if a person doesn’t meet the legal “disabled” threshold, or if there is a dispute about a person’s disability, the person with the disability may not receive the support they need.

Question 20

Understand their strengths and weaknesses

What are the weaknesses of the Functional Solutions Model?

Answer 20

Profit-driven technology entrepreneurs can sometimes miss the mark, creating products that may be innovative but neither practical nor useful. Some products may be of more benefit to the innovators than to the target population, especially if they are expensive. A narrow focus on technology may lead to miscalculations or missed opportunities in cases where social, political and environmental aspects ought to be considered to fix an issue effectively.

Question 21

Understand their strengths and weaknesses

What are the weaknesses of the Social Identity or Cultural Affiliation Model?

Answer 21

The sense of belonging felt within a group of people can be counterbalanced by feelings of exclusion for people who don’t fit the group’s expectations.

Question 22

Understand their strengths and weaknesses

What are the weaknesses of the Charity Model?

Answer 22

The charity model can be condescending toward people with disabilities. They may resent feeling like they are an object of pity, and that they must depend on accepting or cultivating this pity. The charity model often focuses on short-term, immediate needs at the expense of more comprehensive and ultimately more effective long-term solutions.

Question 23

Identify models align with principles of accessibility&universal design.

Identify which models align most closely with the principles of accessibility and universal design.

Answer 23

Opinion, give support to prove your choices