During COVID pandemic parents of children with disabilities have to act as teachers, therapists and caregivers. Nino is one of the seven children who now lives in a specialized family type service for children with severe and profound disabilities in Tbilisi, Georgia. Media contacts Maya Kurtsikidze. Related topics Disability Rights. Children with disabilities. This approach to disability became known as the Social Model of Disability. Here is a diagram of a Medical Model of Disability that shows some of the thinking and assumptions of this Model.
A Medical Model of Disability will then focus on trying to help the individual to walk again through operations or equipment, whilst a Charitable Model of Disability will conclude that the person who is unable to walk needs special charitable services often segregated from society , such as day centres, as an alternative to work.
Both the Medical and Charitable Models of Disability are still alive and kicking, and often still lurk in approaches and assumptions made by government and public bodies, despite these organisations purporting to adopt a Social Model approach. The Social Model of Disability, developed over the last 40 years by Disabled people, is a radically different Model to the Medical and Charitable approach to disability described above.
It states that people have impairments but that the oppression, exclusion and discrimination people with impairments face is not an inevitable consequence of having an impairment, but is caused instead by the way society is run and organised. Here is a diagram of the Social Model of Disability that shows some of the thinking and assumptions of this Model.
The Social Model not only identifies society as the cause of disability but, equally importantly, it provides a way of explaining how society goes about disabling people with impairments.
These are barriers linked to information and communication, such as lack of British Sign Language interpreters for Deaf people, lack of provision of hearing induction loops, lack of information in different accessible formats such as Easy Read, plain English and large font.
The Social Model, in highlighting the barrier, often simultaneously identifies the solution to the barrier; for example:. Solution: Install an intercom system with video for Deaf and hard of hearing residents. Additional benefits : Elderly people and other people who may feel vulnerable feel more secure in the accommodation. Likewise, from a Social Model perspective, to enable Disabled people to achieve genuine independent living requires a range of support to be in place in society to counter the effects of discrimination and oppression.
The Social Model of Disability is dynamic and effective in that it focuses on barriers and solutions to such barriers and, in doing so, maps out an approach to inclusion and equality that is of benefit to society as a whole, not just Disabled people. From a Social Model perspective, there is a radical difference between impairment and disability:.
Disability is the name for the social consequences of having an impairment. People with impairments are disabled by society, so disability is therefore a social construct that can be changed and removed. The social model recognises that this is a problem with the building, not the person, and would suggest adding a ramp to the entrance.
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. Removing barriers in society When barriers are removed, people with disability can be independent and equal in society.
Attitudinal barriers: are created by people who see only disability when associating with people with disabilities in some way. These attitudinal barriers can be witnessed through bullying, discrimination, and fear. These barriers include low expectations of people with disabilities, and these barriers contribute to all other barriers. Environmental barriers: inaccessible environments, natural or built, create disability by creating barriers to inclusion.
Examples of architectural or physical barriers include: Sidewalks and doorways that are too narrow for a wheelchair, scooter, or walker. Desks that are too high for a person who is using a wheelchair, or other mobility device. Poor lighting that makes it difficult to see for a person with low vision or a person who lip-reads.
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