What’s the difference between viewing disability as a medical issue versus a social construct? How can changing our perspective on disability create a more inclusive world?
In Unmasking Autism, Devon Price explores the medical and social models of disability, revealing how our understanding of conditions such as Autism shapes societal responses and individual experiences. The contrast between these approaches highlights the difference between seeking “cures” and creating genuine accommodation.
Keep reading to learn about the medical and social models of disability and why shifting our perspective could transform lives.
Medical and Social Models of Disability
Price discusses the medical and social models of disability, and he explains why he advocates for one over the other. He explains that current legal, health care, and educational systems predominantly use a medical model of disability, which views disability as an issue that needs to be addressed at the individual level rather than the systemic level. This approach has led to harmful practices and organizations that seek to “cure” Autism rather than accept and accommodate Autistic individuals.
(Shortform note: Experts note that most Autistic people don’t want to be “cured,” even if it were possible. However, some Autistic people do want to be cured, and neurodiversity advocates emphasize that it’s important to take these perspectives into account rather than ignoring them. One Autism advocate has coined the term “neurotype dysphoria” to describe people who wish they could change their neurotype—such as an Autistic person who wishes they could be allistic, or a neurotypical person who wishes they could be neurodivergent. Experts suggest that this reframing could better represent both sides of the argument by acknowledging the desire to be different while avoiding the pathologizing stigma of the word “cure.”)
Price explains that society actively disables certain groups—for example, Deaf people often rely on sign language to communicate, which is disabling because most people use spoken language. However, if everyone knew and used sign language, that aspect of Deafness would no longer be disabling. Similarly, Price argues that many Autistic struggles stem from social expectations and norms rather than inherent limitations.
Price advocates adopting a social model of disability, which recognizes that disability is often created by societal barriers and exclusion rather than innate deficits. This model rejects the idea that Autism needs to be cured and instead focuses on ways that society could be restructured or modified to make Autism less disabling.
| Other Models of Disability Despite the issues with the medical model, it’s not the most harmful model of disability: The moral model of disability portrays disability as reflective of a person’s character or deeds, suggesting that it’s often a punishment or karma for bad people. This model remains prevalent throughout the world, and it’s often apparent in media portrayals of disabled people. Evil characters in shows and movies often have visible disabilities or physical differences, for example. Even more harmful is the eugenics model of disability, which views disability as a defect to be stamped out through extermination. This was the ideology that fueled the Holocaust and continues to result in widespread mistreatment of disabled people. However, some criticize the social model of disability as simplistic. The social model distinguishes between impairment (the limitations of one’s body or mind) and disability (the limitations placed on a disabled person by society). It centers societal change as the primary means of accommodating disability. In contrast, the cultural model argues that impairment and disability can’t be neatly disentangled. It acknowledges that certain conditions or symptoms would be disabling regardless of how society treats them—for example, someone with chronic pain would still experience that pain even if society were restructured to better accommodate their condition. The cultural model also views disability as culturally dependent, meaning what one culture views as a disability might be viewed as normal or even a strength in another. In the case of Deafness, the medical model holds that the disabling aspect of this condition could be eliminated through cochlear implants, and the social model would argue that the disability could be eliminated through more widespread use of sign language. The cultural model would support such accommodations but would maintain that Deafness is a real disability, while also acknowledging the unique strengths it can confer (such as fluency in sign language). Similarly, some theorize that Autism was beneficial to hunter-gatherer cultures.The cultural model isn’t necessarily incompatible with the social model, and some of Price’s arguments align with the cultural model even though he doesn’t use that term. Additionally, the cultural model was formed in the mid-aughts of the 2000s, and as such is still being developed. |
