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When thinking about ‘disability’ one should think not just about a medical condition or a personal trait, but rather as something that is shaped by how we, as a society, understand it. The way disability is defined affects how people with disabilities are treated, supported, and included. From healthcare to education, from employment to digital design, our approach is guided by the "model" we use to understand disability.
Here is a short statistic: Over 1.3 billion people around the world live with some form of disability, that's roughly 1 in 6 of us, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In the U.S. alone, the CDC reports that 1 in 4 adults have a disability that impacts major life activities (CDC).
There are multiple theoretical frameworks, or models, that offer different perspectives on disability. Each model has its own strengths, weaknesses, and implications for accessibility, inclusion, and policy. In practice, no single model tells the whole story, but by exploring them, we gain a deeper understanding of how to better support people with disabilities.
The Medical Model
The medical model views disability as a problem located within the individual. It assumes that the source of disability is a medical condition or impairment, and focuses on diagnosis, treatment, cure, or rehabilitation.
"In the medical model, medical care is viewed as the main issue, and at the political level, the principal response is that of modifying or reforming health care policy." Disabled World
Example: A person who is blind would be offered surgery or assistive devices like a prosthetic eye to "fix" the disability.
Strengths:
- Addresses biological aspects of disability.
- Provides necessary medical support and treatment.
- Useful for understanding impairments from a clinical or rehabilitative lens.
Weaknesses:
- Frames disability as a personal deficit.
- Often ignores social, environmental, and attitudinal barriers.
- Can lead to paternalism and stigma.
The Social Model
The social model shifts the focus from the individual to society. It argues that disability is caused by environmental and attitudinal barriers, not by the impairment itself.
"The way society is conceptualised causes disability, rather than a person’s impairment or difference." - Disability Hub Australia
Example: A person using a wheelchair isn’t disabled by their condition but by the presence of stairs and the absence of ramps.
Strengths:
- Empowers disabled individuals to advocate for inclusion.
- Emphasizes systemic change and human rights.
- Aligns with accessibility and universal design.
Weaknesses:
- May understate the importance of medical or embodied realities.
- Can sometimes oversimplify complex personal experiences.
The Biopsychosocial Model
The biopsychosocial model blends the medical and social models by recognizing that disability arises from the interaction between biological, psychological, and social factors.
"It is not simply the biological factors that need to be considered, but also the psychological and social factors." - Physio-Pedia
Example: A rehabilitation plan for someone recovering from a spinal injury would consider physical therapy (medical), emotional support (psychological), and accessible housing (social).
Strengths:
- Holistic approach to disability.
- Encourages individualized care and support systems.
- Adopted in frameworks like the WHO’s ICF.
Weaknesses:
- Complex to implement in policy.
- Risk of shifting focus too heavily to social factors at the expense of medical needs.
The Economic Model
The economic model views disability in terms of economic impact: on the individual, employer, and state. It defines disability based on how impairments affect productivity and access to work.
"Such consequences include loss of earnings for and payment for assistance by the individual; lower profit margins for the employer; and state welfare payments." - Specialeducationnotes.io
Example: Government disability benefits are often based on assessments aligned with the economic model.
Strengths:
- Recognizes financial barriers and cost-related impacts.
- Useful for shaping disability benefit policies.
Weaknesses:
- Can be stigmatizing or reductionist.
- It may exclude those who don’t meet the narrow legal definitions of disability.
The Functional Solutions Model
The functional solutions model focuses on solving practical limitations through innovation, technology, and services.
"The primary task is to eliminate, or at least reduce, the impact of the functional limitations of the body through technological or methodological innovation." - HandWiki
Example: A visually impaired user navigating a website with a screen reader demonstrates how technology removes access barriers. Clym's accessibility widget is a real-world application of this model, allowing users to adjust font size, contrast, keyboard navigation, and more, empowering them to engage with content on their terms. Including an accessibility widget helps your website be more inclusive, meets compliance standards, and creates a better experience for all users.
Strengths:
- Actionable and results-oriented.
- Supports real-world accessibility improvements.
Weaknesses:
- Risks over-reliance on tech without considering social or political issues.
- Profit-driven innovation may not always align with disabled people’s needs.
The Social Identity Model
The social identity Model (also called the Cultural Affiliation Model) frames disability as an identity shared with a community.
"Deaf people consider themselves as a linguistic and cultural group, with highly complex
natural languages but the rights of deaf people are however assured through disability policy, legislation and international instruments." - wfdeaf.org
Example: Members of Deaf culture who use sign language and embrace Deaf identity often reject the idea of needing to be "fixed."
Strengths:
- Centers pride, empowerment, and shared experience.
- Promotes disability as a valued identity, not a deficit.
Weaknesses:
- It may be less inclusive to those who don’t identify strongly with a particular community.
- Risk of group expectations marginalizing individual diversity.
The Charity Model
The charity model sees people with disabilities as unfortunate, dependent, and in need of external help.
"The Charity approach to disability is viewed as being in the ‘best interests’ of disabled people but it does not consider disabled people’s experiences and knowledge as necessarily valuable or essential" - Berkley Disability Lab
Example: A telethon that highlights people with disabilities primarily to evoke pity and raise donations.
Strengths:
- Can mobilize resources and goodwill quickly.
Weaknesses:
- Can be condescending and disempowering.
- Reinforces stereotypes of passivity and dependence.
Example: Applying Disability Models in a Business Setting
Scenario: A mid-sized e-commerce company is redesigning its website. The product team is tasked with improving the user experience for all customers, including those with disabilities. The CEO asks: “What kind of accessibility do we need, and why?”
How Each Model Influences Their Approach:
- Medical Model:
The team considers disabilities as individual limitations and initially suggests pop-ups advising users with vision impairments to use assistive devices like screen magnifiers. There's little focus on changing the website itself. - Social Model:
A UX designer suggests removing barriers that exclude disabled users, adding keyboard navigation, alt text for images, and color contrast improvements. Accessibility becomes a design priority, not an afterthought. - Biopsychosocial Model:
The HR and product teams collaborate: the site is updated for better navigation (social), customer service is trained to support diverse needs (psychological), and accessibility statements are published online (medical + transparency). The company also offers emotional support resources for disabled employees. - Economic Model:
The finance team highlights that accessible websites reach more customers and reduce legal risks. They allocate budget for accessibility audits, seeing it as a long-term cost-saving strategy. - Functional Solutions Model:
The tech team integrates a widget (like Clym’s Accessibility Widget) to allow users to customize their experience, font size, color contrast, and screen reader compatibility. They view technology as the bridge between limitation and full access. - Social Identity Model:
The marketing team includes people with disabilities in their campaign photos and language. They use identity-first language (e.g., “Autistic person” instead of “person with autism” if preferred by that community) to reflect pride and inclusion. - Charity Model:
The team avoids this approach deliberately, rejecting ideas like featuring stories that frame disabled users as “overcoming” or “inspirational.” Instead, they focus on equity, not pity.
Outcome:
By combining insights from multiple models, especially the social, functional solutions, and biopsychosocial models, the business builds a website that’s more inclusive, user-friendly, and aligned with current accessibility expectations. They shift from seeing accessibility as a legal checkbox to an opportunity for ethical design and better service.
Final Thoughts: Why These Models Matter
These frameworks influence more than theory, they shape real-life experiences. Laws, policies, building designs, classroom settings, healthcare systems, and even marketing campaigns are all built upon assumptions from these models.
Inclusive societies don’t rely on just one perspective. They adapt, combining insights from multiple models to address both systemic barriers and individual needs.
By understanding these models of disability, we can create spaces, services, and systems that recognize the full humanity and potential of disabled people.
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