Lecture 3 - Historical Models of Disability

Historical Models of Disability

1) Religious Model

2) Medical Model

3) Social Model

1) Religious Model

• people with disabilities are fundamentally different

• demonization and victimization

• care and mercy offered by religious institutions

• ex. Ex. The parents must have done something bad in their past for this to happen to their child

2) Medical Model

• defines disability as something to be fixed with treatments/cures

• viewed as problem within individual

3) Social Model

• disability is a socio-politcal construct (disabled by society)

• person themself is not the problem but hte environment they are in

Current Models of Disability

Medical + Social = Biopsychosocial Model

Biopsychosocial Model

• International classification of function, disability and health (ICF)

• synthesizes what is true in medical and social models, without making the mistake each makes in reducing the whole, complex notions of disability to one of its aspects

ICF Components

1) Functioning

2) Disability

ICF - Functioning Definition

• highlights positive and neutral aspects of the interaction between health conditions and context

• body function/structure

• activity / participation

ICF - Disability Definition

• highlights negative aspects of the interaction between health conditions and context

• still viewed as negative but not as something apart of life

• impairments

• activity and participation limitations and restrictions

ICF Components - Functioning

• Body Functions

  • the physiological functions of body systems

  • ex. respiratory function (breathing)

• Body Structures

  • anatomical parts of body like organs, limbs

• Impairments

  • problems in body function or alterations in structure

  • ex. paralysis or blindness

ICF Components - Functioning Example

• Kia is a 6 year old girl with muscular dystrophy. She experiences progressive muscle weakness, stiffness, muscle pain, these pertain to body function and structure impairments

• note in this definiton it is not the person who is impaired but their function which differs from the medical model which would define the person as impaired

ICF Components - Activities

• the execution of a task or action by an individual

• ADLS and IADLS

ADLS

• activities of daily living

  • eating

  • bathing

  • dressing

  • toileting

IADLS

• instrumental activities of daily living

  • shopping

  • financial management

  • house keeping

ICF Components - Participation

• participation is involvement in a life situation

• participation with restrictions is problems with involvement in any area of life such as facing discrimination in employment

ICF Components - Environmental Factors

• physical, social, and attitudinal environment in which people live and conduct their lives

• barriers to or facilitators of the persons function

Social Determinants of Health

barriers that can be changed to improve health conditions, prevent impairments, and improve outcomes for people with disabilities

• money - for caregiver/therapy

• geography - where the medical services are

• job opportunity - not given job because they as if the building is wheelchair friendly

ICF Components - Personal Factors

• gender, age, race, lifestyle, habits, education, job

3 Goals in ICR Practice

1) Universality

• includes everyone regardless of disability status

2) Parity

• all conditions viewed equally

3) Neutrality

• language is not charged as positive or negative

Disabling Barriers

• inadequate policies and standards

• negative attitudes

• lack of provision of services

• problems with service delivery

• inadequate funding

• lack of accessibility

Otherness

to be other means to be defined and perceived as fundamentally different, foreign or outside the perceived “normal” or dominant social group

Disabled People are Othered

• labelling - marginalization - exclusion and discrimination

• otherness is perpetuated by the medical and social model

• power imbalance

Person First Language

• focuses on the fact that they are not just the disability they have

• they want personality to define them not disability

• ex. jane loves to play basketball

Identity First Language

• the prefer to introduce themselves this way because their disability is a big part of their identity

• Ex. jane lives with autism

Society of Normalization

• social establishment of the “norm” and the “other”

• goal of society is to make the “other” as “normal” as possible

Normalization in a Positive Way

tries to ensure a disabled person can live a normal way despite their disability

Normalization Caused By

• little knowledge and awareness of disability in society

• ignorance can have negative outcomes of low self esteem and reduced participation

Examples of Normalization

• children bullying other children with disabilities

• strangers mocking

• employer discrimination

• bus drivers failing to support accessibility