Social And Medical Model Of Disability Essay

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Introduction: In this report I am going to talk about the what the social and medical models of disability are, why they are important and my opinion on them. Models of disability are used for defining impairments and for helping the government and society help meet the needs of disabled people. They are helpful as they give people a better understanding of disabilities and the issues associated with having a disability.
Social model of disability: The social model of disability says that disability is caused by the way society is organised rather than a persons difference or impairment. An impairment is a medical condition that leads to a disability. The Union Of The Physically Impaired Against Segregation (UPIAS) was a disability rights
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According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) “an impairment is any loss or abnormality of psychological or anamotical structure or function.(Medical model of disability, 2016)” The medical model places the problem on the impaired person and says that the solutions will be found by focusing on the individual. If solutions cannot be found and the disabled person cannot adapt to society they are often placed in special institutions or isolated at home where only their basic needs are met. The medical models solutions all revolve around finding a cure for the impairment or disability rather than trying to make the disabled persons life easier. The medical model isn’t usually a success because often the disability or impairment cannot be cured and the only solution is to make living with the impairment easier for the individual. The medical model says that disabled people are unable to join society as a result of having an impairment. There is a lot of predjuice associated with the medical model of disability, as disabilities are seen as a medical problem so employers try avoid hiring people with disabilitys because they view them as being “sick” and think that they wont be able to perform to the same level as able bodied employees. The main message that comes from the medical …show more content…
Although I agree that medical professionals should carry out tests etc to see if the impairment can be cured because that could change someone’s life completely. Apart from the testing the medical professionals carry out, I do not think the medical model is important. In my opinion it brings negativity into an individuals life by separating them from society as the medical model believes that disabled people aren’t able to manage by themselves that they need assistance and that they should attend special schools, when really if society provided the aids that disabled people need they would be completely

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