DS Blog 8



The medical model of disability has been widely used throughout society and history and unfortunately this is not the representation of disability that is preferred throughout the community as it pushes a negative message. The American Psychological Association describes the medical model of disability as disability being perceived as an impairment that needs to be fixed or cured. It pushes the message that the goal when you become disabled is to go back to being “normal” and to strive to be able bodied as much as possible. It rejects the idea that disability is a part of life and human existence and it refuses to normalize it. 



The biopsychosocial model of disability is the preferred model to use when discussing the concept of disability. According to the National Library of Medicine, the biopsychosocial model includes an individual's health, disability, and environment's influence on their abilities. The biological aspect of the biopsychosocial model includes assessing both mental and physical impairments while the psychological aspect includes understanding a person's emotional and spiritual state. The social aspect is vital to this framework, as it highlights the environmental and industrial changes that need to be made in order to make the physical environment more accessible to the individual with a disability.



While the medical model focuses on what aspects of the individual need to be fixed for them to thrive, the biopsychosocial model focuses on what aspects of the world need to be addressed in order for individuals with disabilities to thrive. This is a very important mission of mine and I attempt to educate others on this issue of how society views individuals with disabilities and disability as a whole.



I think it is important to correct people when their language about disability is not in line with the biopsychosocial model. For example, when people use outdated terms that can be offensive I always correct them, but more specifically, I encourage appropriate language by telling people that disabled people are not handicapped, but society and its infrastructure is handicapping them. It is also important to point out inaccurate media portrayals of disability in the media, for example I addressed the disability portrayal in the movie Wicked when I saw it with my family. I explained how in the original play, Nessarose was “fixed” and was able to walk, but the movie changed that aspect by making her “float on air”. In the same breath, I also addressed how the disabled character in the move is typically the villain, which reinforces negative stereotypes. 

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