Theoretical Models of Disability Flashcards
What is the medical model of disability?
This model views disability as a problem of the person, directly caused by disease, trauma, or other health condition. The management of the disability is focused on a “cure” or adjustments by the individual that would lead to an “almost-cure.”
What is the social model of disability?
This model sees disability as a socially constructed problem. Disability is not an attribute of an individual, but rather a complex collection of conditions created by the social environment. It is the collective responsibility of society at large to make the environmental modifications necessary for the full participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of life.
What are the strengths of the medical model?
The medical model addresses the biological sources of disabilities, either by clinically curing them or providing ways to medically manage the conditions. The medical component of disabilities is a critical reality for many people.
What are the weaknesses of the medical model?
This model treats disability as a problem of the individual and seeks a cure or management of a bodily condition above all else. It doesn’t consider the broader sociopolitical constraints of unwelcoming and inaccessible environments and can cause people with disabilities to feel excluded or forced to fit a norm that may not work for everyone.
What are the strengths of the social model?
The social model’s focus on environmental conditions shows that barriers and challenges are not inevitable or a result of an individual’s “broken” body. Societies can improve the lives of people with disabilities by ensuring the world is designed to accommodate a wide range of human characteristics and abilities.
What model of disability integrates the social and medical models?
Biopsychosocial model
What is the economic model of disability?
The economic model defines disability by a person’s inability to work or be productive at work. It considers the economic consequences of an inability to work, including loss of earnings for and payment for assistance by the individual, lower profit margins for the employer, and state welfare payments.
Which model of disability is directed connected to the economic model?
Charity model
What are the strengths of the economic model?
The model recognizes the effect of bodily limitations on a person’s ability to work and the need for economic support or accommodations for the person’s disability.
What are the weaknesses of the social model?
The social model downplays the embodied aspects of disabilities too much, as if disability has nothing to do with bodily characteristics at all. Its focus on social justice can put activists at odds with others in the political arena.
What are the weaknesses of the economic model?
This model creates a legally defined category of people who are needy, which could be stigmatizing. People who don’t meet the legal threshold of disability may not receive the support they need.
What is the functional solutions model of disability?
The functional solutions model identifies the limitations due to disability in order to create and promote solutions to overcome those limitations. It uses technological or methodological innovation to eliminate or reduce the impact of functional limitations of the body.
The focus of this model is on practical solutions rather than the sociopolitical aspects of disability.
What are the strengths of the functional solutions model?
The functional solutions model is results-oriented. It seeks to provide solutions to real-world challenges with inventiveness and entrepreneurship.
What are the weaknesses of the functional solutions model?
Some new technologies may be innovative but not practical or useful. Innovations may provide more benefit to the inventor, especially if they are expensive. The focus on functional solutions ignores underlying socioeconomic issues.
What is the social identity or cultural affiliation model of disability?
In this model, individuals develop a personal identity from membership within a group of like-minded individuals (e.g., people who are deaf).
