Learning Opportunities Via Ejhaz CIC

Social model of disability

The social model of disability is a way of viewing the world, developed by people with disabilities. 

The model says that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment or difference. Barriers can be physical, like buildings not having accessible toilets. Or they can be caused by people’s attitudes to difference, like assuming people with disabilities can’t do certain things.

The social model helps us recognise barriers that make life harder for people with disabilities. Removing these barriers creates equality and offers people with disabilities more independence, choice and control.

Not everyone uses the social model and that’s ok. How anyone chooses to talk about their impairment is up to them. 

Medical model of disability

The medical model of disability says people are disabled by their impairments or differences.

The medical model looks at what is ‘wrong’ with the person, not what the person needs. We believe it creates low expectations and leads to people losing independence, choice and control in their lives.

Examples of the social model in action:

• You are a person with disabilities who can’t use stairs and wants to get into a building with a step at the entrance. The social model recognises that this is a problem with the building, not the person, and would suggest adding a ramp to the entrance.
• Your child with a visual impairment wants to read the latest best-selling book, so they can chat about it with their friends. The social model solution makes full-text recordings available when the book is published.
• You are a teenager with a learning difficulty who wants to live independently in your own home, but you don’t know how to pay the rent. The social model recognises that with the right support on how to pay your rent, you can live the life you choose. The medical model might assume that the barriers to independent living are insurmountable, and you might be expected to live in a care home.