Theoretical Models of Disability
Models covered in this lesson
- The Medical Model
- The Social Model
- Biopsychosocial Model, which combines medical and social ideas
- Economic Model
- Functional Solutions Model
- Social Identity Model
- Charity Model
The Medical Model
Definition
The medical model views disability as a problem of the person, directly caused by disease, trauma, or another health condition. It therefore requires sustained medical care provided as individual treatment by professionals.
Strengths
The medical model can address 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.
Weaknesses
The medical model treats disability as a problem or inherent characteristic of the individual and seeks a cure or medical management of a bodily condition. It often overlooks the broader social and political constraints imposed by unwelcoming or inaccessible environments.
The Social Model
Definition
The social model of disability sees 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.
Strengths
The social model's focus on disabling conditions in the environment and in society makes it clear that the barriers and challenges experienced by people with disabilities are not inevitable. They are also not exclusively a characteristic of the individual's body.
Weaknesses
The social model of disability can downplay the embodied aspects of disabilities too much, as if disability had 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.
The Biopsychosocial Model
Definition
In 2002, the World Health Organization published the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. It describes the complex phenomenon of disability and integrates the social and medical models.
A more useful model of disability synthesizes what is true in the medical and social models without reducing the whole, complex notion of disability to one of its aspects. This more useful model may be called the biopsychosocial model.
Strengths
The biopsychosocial model is more inclusive and integrative. It emphasizes the importance of considering a patient's mental, emotional, and social well-being in addition to medical history. It can help people understand themselves as complex beings and understand how genetics, medical history, and environment impact thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Weaknesses
The biopsychosocial model can be difficult to apply in research and practice. It has been viewed as insensitive to individual meaning and experiences, especially across cultures. It is also considered vague about how the different components interact, when to apply them in different scenarios and people, and how to improve the process over time.
The Economic Model
Definition
From 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."
Strengths
The economic model recognizes the effect of bodily limitations on a person's ability to work. It also recognizes that there may be a need for economic support and/or accommodations for the person's disability.
Weaknesses
The economic model creates a legally defined category of people who are needy, which can be stigmatizing for people with disabilities. Also, if a person does not meet the legal threshold for disabled, or if there is a dispute as to a person's disability, the person with the disability may not receive the support they need.
The Functional Solutions Model
Definition
The functional solutions model of disability is a practical perspective that identifies limitations, or "functional impairments," due to disability, with the intent to create and promote solutions to overcome those limitations.
Strengths
The strongest aspect of this model is that it is results-oriented. It seeks to provide solutions to real-world challenges while sidestepping the often-convoluted sociopolitical implications of disability within society.
Weaknesses
When new technologies are involved, profit-driven entrepreneurs can sometimes miss the mark, creating products that may be innovative but not practical or useful, or that may benefit the innovators more than the target population, especially if the proposed solutions are expensive.
The Social Identity Model
Definition
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.
Strengths
The social identity or cultural affiliation model accepts the person's disability completely and uses it as a point of pride in being associated with other people in a similar condition.
Weaknesses
The sense of belonging felt by one group of people can be counterbalanced by a feeling of exclusion by people who do not fit the group's expectations.
The Charity Model
Definition
The charity model regards people with disabilities as unfortunate and in need of assistance from the outside, with those providing charity viewed as benevolent contributors to a needy population.
Strengths
The charity model can inspire people to contribute their time and/or resources to provide assistance when it is genuinely needed.
Weaknesses
The charity model can be condescending toward people with disabilities, who may come to resent the feeling that they are the object of pity by other people and that they must depend on accepting or cultivating this pity on a continual basis. The charity model often focuses on short-term, immediate needs, often at the expense of more comprehensive and ultimately more effective long-term solutions.
Quick comparison
| Model | Main focus | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Model | Health condition, treatment, cure, or management | Can overlook social and environmental barriers |
| Social Model | Barriers created by society and the environment | Can downplay the bodily experience of disability |
| Biopsychosocial Model | Medical, psychological, and social factors together | Can be difficult to apply clearly |
| Economic Model | Work, productivity, support, and accommodations | Can stigmatize people or exclude those who do not meet legal thresholds |
| Functional Solutions Model | Practical solutions to functional limitations | Can lead to expensive or poorly matched products |
| Social Identity Model | Disability as identity, culture, and group belonging | Can exclude people who do not fit group expectations |
| Charity Model | Outside help for people seen as needing assistance | Can create pity, dependency, and short-term thinking |
Additional note: For CPACC-style review, the main skill is not just memorizing the model names. The useful skill is recognizing which model is being used in a scenario.
Self-study links
- IAAP CPACC Body of Knowledge (Pages 4-8)
- Models of Disability: Types and Definitions - Disabled World