What do you understand by the "social model" of disability? Analyse what influence it might have on the ways in which disability might be removed or reduced?.
Disability is a major issue faced by our society. An attempt to describe the term disability can be very challenging. Views of disability can differ immensely from an "able-bodied" persons in comparison to the view of "disabled" individual. .
There is no legal definition of disability as described in the social model of disability, the closest is the notion of discrimination as "less favourable treatment" as described in the DDA (Disability Discrimination act, 1995). According to the DDA a disability depends on the inability to carry out routine daily tasks.
World Health Organisation categorised disability into 3 groups; Impairment (e.g. loss of a body part), Disability (e.g. cannot run) and Handicap (e.g. cannot play football). They believe that impairment is different to disability. .
One proposed definition of disability from the perspective of impairment could be that, "Disabled people" are those with "impairments" who are disabled by the society. This includes people with visual and physical impairments, deaf people, people who are hard of hearing, people with learning difficulties and people who have or have had mental health needs or mental distress.
The definition of disability has had an opportunity to develop through social change. Its development involves the movement of responsibility "for" disability, and of the services "to" disabled people. Responses to the definition of disability can vary from individual to social responses. .
The popular view about disability is to recognize it being about specific impairments (such as blind-ness and paralysis) or forms of assistance and technologies (such as guide-dogs and wheelchairs). Such a model assumes that disability is a tragic abnormality, which afflicts a minority of people. This assumption is usually very persuasive and it is the entire basis of the "Medical Model".
