Models of disability

Sightsavers recognizes that there are 4 mindsets/models how you can approach disability:

  1. Medical
  2. Charity/welfare
  3. Social
  4. Human rights

Medical model

Focus on ‘fixing’ or ‘curing’ individual impairments

Disability is within the individual

Example: A child is born deaf and is given a cochlear implant at the age of two.

medical model presentation screenshot

Charity/welfare model

Focus on perceived individual limitations

People with disabilities seen as victims needing care and protection

Example: a child is born deaf and people assume they will never be able to attend school like ‘normal’ children.

charity/welfare model presentation screenshot

Social model

Focus on removing barriers in society

It is society which disables physically impaired people. Disability is something imposed on top of our impairments.
/Vic Finkenstein

Disability movement: Nothing about us without us

Example: a qualified Deaf woman doesn’t get a job because employers are not willing to provide reasonable accomodations (like sign language interpretation)

social model presentation screenshot

Human rights model

Focus on inalienable human rights

Disability is seen as a natural and common aspect of the human experience

People with disabilities are seen as rights-holders

Example: a child is born deaf, and their right to health care, social inclusion and education must be guaranteed.

human rights model presentation screenshot

Conclusions

These models are not exclusive - you can operate on many levels at the same time. Sightsavers does this: adds are targeted from the level 2, internally operate on level 3 and level 4.

Historically, we are moving ‘up’ - just about 10 years ago mainstream was level medical and chairity models, now the shift is happening towards mainstreaming social and human rights models as also UN has ratified the rights of people with disabilities a long time ago.

A full cut out from Sightsavers presentation