Models of Disability
Disability has been interpreted vastly differently across cultures and time.
Blind oracles and poets were revered in ancient times, while nineteenth- and twentieth-century "Ugly Laws" legally banned "diseased, maimed, mutilated or in any way deformed" people from appearing in public in many American cities. The mid-twentieth century March of Dimes polio poster children were pitied, while Paralympians were celebrated and admired.
Even today, there are many ways of understanding disability. Two main perspectives are the medical and social models.
The medical model frames disability as the result of an individual's bodily impairment.
For example, an individual using a wheelchair who can't access a space upstairs is disabled by their physical condition.
Conversely, the social model frames disability as the result of environmental, societal, and attitudinal barriers.
For instance, an individual using a wheelchair who can't access a space upstairs is disabled by the lack of accessibility, like elevators or ramps.
Images courtesy of Sensory Street Links to an external site.
The sip and puff Links to an external site., an assistive technology controlled by users' inhales and exhales, was invented by UCLA alum Bill Cameron.