Key Concepts & Theories
1. Medical Model vs. Social Model
Medical Model: disability is an individual deficit to be cured or rehabilitated. Social Model (Oliver, 1983): disability is caused by societal barriers — inaccessible buildings, discriminatory attitudes, and exclusionary systems — not by impairments.
Medical Model: disability is an individual deficit to be cured or rehabilitated. Social Model (Oliver, 1983): disability is caused by societal barriers — inaccessible buildings, discriminatory attitudes, and exclusionary systems — not by impairments.
2. The Social Model of Disability
Impairment: the functional limitation (e.g., blindness). Disability: the social oppression resulting from societal failure to accommodate impairment. Solution: remove barriers, not "fix" the person.
Impairment: the functional limitation (e.g., blindness). Disability: the social oppression resulting from societal failure to accommodate impairment. Solution: remove barriers, not "fix" the person.
3. Intersectionality
Crenshaw (1989): disability intersects with race, gender, class, sexuality. A disabled woman of color faces compounded discrimination that neither disability studies nor feminism alone can fully explain.
Crenshaw (1989): disability intersects with race, gender, class, sexuality. A disabled woman of color faces compounded discrimination that neither disability studies nor feminism alone can fully explain.
4. Universal Design
Designing environments, products, and systems usable by all people without adaptation. Examples: curb cuts, captioning, screen readers. Benefits everyone — parents with strollers, aging populations, temporary injuries.
Designing environments, products, and systems usable by all people without adaptation. Examples: curb cuts, captioning, screen readers. Benefits everyone — parents with strollers, aging populations, temporary injuries.
5. The Independent Living Movement
Disability rights movement (1960s-present) advocating for self-determination, community integration, and personal assistance services. Nothing About Us Without Us — disabled people must lead decisions affecting them.
Disability rights movement (1960s-present) advocating for self-determination, community integration, and personal assistance services. Nothing About Us Without Us — disabled people must lead decisions affecting them.
Core Definitions
Ableism: Discrimination and social prejudice against disabled people, rooted in the belief that typical abilities are superior. Systemic: inaccessible websites, employment discrimination, forced institutionalization.
Neurodiversity: The concept that neurological differences (autism, ADHD, dyslexia) are natural variations of the human brain, not deficits. Coined by Judy Singer (1998). Movement advocates acceptance over cure.
Person-First vs. Identity-First Language: Person-first: "person with a disability" (emphasizes humanity). Identity-first: "disabled person" (disability as identity). The Deaf community strongly prefers identity-first ("Deaf person").
Institutionalization: Historical practice of confining disabled people in large facilities, often for life. Deinstitutionalization movement (1960s-present) moved people to community-based services. Olmstead Decision (1999) affirmed the right to community living.
Reasonable Accommodation: Modifications enabling a disabled person to perform essential job functions or access services. Examples: screen readers, flexible schedules, sign language interpreters. Required under the ADA (1990).
Worked Examples
Example 1: Medical vs. Social Model in Action
A wheelchair user cannot enter a building with stairs only. Medical model: the person needs a cure. Social model: the building needs a ramp. The impairment is the inability to walk; the disability is the inaccessible design.
A wheelchair user cannot enter a building with stairs only. Medical model: the person needs a cure. Social model: the building needs a ramp. The impairment is the inability to walk; the disability is the inaccessible design.
Example 2: Intersectionality Analysis
A deaf Black woman seeking employment faces: ableism (employer assumes she can't communicate), racism (stereotypes about Black workers), and sexism (gender pay gap). Solutions must address all three simultaneously.
A deaf Black woman seeking employment faces: ableism (employer assumes she can't communicate), racism (stereotypes about Black workers), and sexism (gender pay gap). Solutions must address all three simultaneously.
Example 3: Universal Design
Closed captions: designed for Deaf users, but used by non-native speakers, people in noisy gyms, and language learners. Curb cuts: designed for wheelchairs, but used by delivery workers, cyclists, and parents with strollers.
Closed captions: designed for Deaf users, but used by non-native speakers, people in noisy gyms, and language learners. Curb cuts: designed for wheelchairs, but used by delivery workers, cyclists, and parents with strollers.
Practice Problems
Problem 1: What is the difference between the medical and social models of disability?
Answer: Medical: disability is an individual deficit requiring cure/rehabilitation. Social: disability is societal barriers excluding people with impairments. The social model shifts responsibility from the individual to society.
Answer: Medical: disability is an individual deficit requiring cure/rehabilitation. Social: disability is societal barriers excluding people with impairments. The social model shifts responsibility from the individual to society.
Problem 2: What does "Nothing About Us Without Us" mean?
Answer: Disabled people must be included in all decisions affecting them — policy, research, services. No decisions made about disabled people without their participation. Core principle of the disability rights movement.
Answer: Disabled people must be included in all decisions affecting them — policy, research, services. No decisions made about disabled people without their participation. Core principle of the disability rights movement.
Problem 3: Explain the concept of intersectionality in disability studies.
Answer: Disability overlaps with other identities (race, gender, class). A disabled immigrant woman faces barriers that are not just about disability, race, or gender alone — but the intersection of all three creating unique experiences.
Answer: Disability overlaps with other identities (race, gender, class). A disabled immigrant woman faces barriers that are not just about disability, race, or gender alone — but the intersection of all three creating unique experiences.
Problem 4: What is neurodiversity?
Answer: The concept that neurological differences (autism, ADHD, dyslexia, Tourette's) are natural variations, not deficits. The neurodiversity movement advocates acceptance, accommodations, and celebrating different minds rather than seeking cures.
Answer: The concept that neurological differences (autism, ADHD, dyslexia, Tourette's) are natural variations, not deficits. The neurodiversity movement advocates acceptance, accommodations, and celebrating different minds rather than seeking cures.
Problem 5: What was the Olmstead Decision (1999)?
Answer: The US Supreme Court ruled that unjustified institutionalization of people with mental disabilities violates the ADA. States must provide community-based services when appropriate, reasonable, and not opposed by the individual.
Answer: The US Supreme Court ruled that unjustified institutionalization of people with mental disabilities violates the ADA. States must provide community-based services when appropriate, reasonable, and not opposed by the individual.