Education Standards
DDSG Social Model
TED Talk - "I Am Not Your Inspiration"
Models of Disability
Overview
This module outlines three models of disability - moral, medical, and social.
Moral Model
The moral model of disability has large historical roots. It is is the view that those with disabilities should be shameful, and that a disbaility is a burden on the entire family. This view is not necessarily religious in origin, but it encouraged the exclusion of people with disabilities historically. The moral model brings feelings of guilt and self-hatred to PWD.
Medical Model
The medical model focuses on the restrictions and differences placed on a person with a disability. It has ties to the moral model, as often a person's physical and intellectual differences enhance the division between the PWD and the rest of society.
Social Model
Many people with disbabilities now subscribe to a new model of disability, the social model. This way of thinking changes society's perspective of disability from a medical issue, to opening society's eyes about the exclusions of PWD and how we can change that moving forward.