If you have the time, watch the following 10 minute TED Talk by comedian and author, Stella Young: https://www.ted.com/talks/stella_young_i_m_not_your_inspiration_thank_you_very_much?language=enWelcome to your first lesson! In this lesson, you'll learn some basic disability terminology and perspectives.
One in every five Americans has a disability, but we don't see disability or talk about disability with much frequency. The minimal presence of disability in mainstream culture may have something to do with a cultural hierarchy of disability, or the way that society views some people as more disabled than others, or some disabilities as more serious than others. For example, someone with asthma, arthritis, or diabetes may not categorize themselves as disabled, despite falling under a medical definition of the term. Instead, they may associate disability with others who have paraplegia, Tourette's syndrome, or intellectual impairment.
The truth is that nearly everyone will experience disability in their lifetime via happenstance, injury, illness, or aging. In the 1990s, disability scholarship often used the term temporarily able-bodied to reference nondisabled persons or "not-yet disabled" persons. The phrase has since fell out of fashion, but understanding the wide reach of disability should cause us to question why we talk about disability so narrowly and limitedly.
The term disability means different things to different people. One way to clarify the different uses of the term is to separate the concept of disability from the concept of impairment.
Impairments are defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) Africa as, "a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation or difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action." An impairment is individually experienced, often at a physical or mental level.
In other words, it is more accurate to say that someone has an impairment rather than has a disability. Saying that someone has a disability is also acceptable, but it lacks specificity and may become confusing in more complex conversations about disability experiences.
Disability is an umbrella term that includes impairment, but also references a shared social experience and political identity.
In this training, we will use disability in this way when we refer to the "disability community" and "disability experiences." We are referencing elements of disability beyond the physicality of it.
The separation of disability and impairment is also helpful for processing the second half of this lesson. Here, we focus on three models of disability -- the medical model, charity model, and the social model. These models are frames through which society views and responds to disability. Keep in mind that every disability is different, and that these models of disability describe broader patterns and societal frameworks and do not encompass every person or experience.
The most pervasive view of disability comes from a medical model that views disability as an individual problem that can be treated through medical intervention. For many individuals, disability is discussed primarily in medical contexts and may follow the following pattern:
Experiences in the medical model are framed by professionals who are focused on fixing and curing the individual.
The medical model conflates impairment and disability. While medical treatment is an expected part of some types of disabilities, this model reinforces the idea that disability is a problem and people with disabilities need fixing.
Research shows that feelings of inadequacy, shame, and helplessness are especially strong among people with disabilities whose rely on medical professionals as their primary sources of information about disability.
The charity model compliments a medical model by adding an emotional component to one's response to disability. Specifically, the charity model views disability as tragic and assumes that people with disabilities need our sympathy and help.
Nonprofit organizations that tug on people's heartstrings are a place where the charity model thrives, but the sentiments associated with this model are widespread. The "solution" to disability from people who embrace the charity model may include:
A charity model limits people with disabilities because it assumes them to be passive and unable to help themselves. It also assumes that disability is "a bad thing" and people with disabilities need compassion and comfort. Should we stop helping people? Of course not. But when we reject the charity model, we also reject the narrow and misguided paternalistic assumptions that drive certain helping behaviors and actions.
We will discuss the Disability Rights Movement in the next module, but for now it's important to know that one can not understand the fight for disability rights without also understanding the social model of disability. The social model claims that societal barriers, inaccessible environments and prejudicial attitudes--rather than the limits of individual disabilities--keep people with disabilities from participating and flourishing in society.
For example, should we pity a person with a mobility impairment for not being able to walk up a flight of stairs? Or, can we recognize that the social norm of constructing stairs in front of buildings keeps many people with disabilities from entering buildings? The first question places the problem of disability on the individual while the second question understands that society creates barriers for people with disabilities. This example is one way that the social model reframes disability and challenges the traditional medial and charity models of disability.
A social model emphasizes the following:
The social model provides a view of disability that brings together people with disabilities to combat oppressive societal structures and attitudes. At the heart of the social model is the idea that disability is an aspect of the human experience and it is society that positions disability as inferior.
In this course, you will see many ideas and examples that evoke the social model, but it is important to study how disability activists and scholars continue to discuss and build on this original theory. For example, present day there exists much emphasis on the lived and emotional experiences of people with disabilities and self-representation in institutions and organizations that make decisions about people with disabilities.
Self-determination, or the right to carve one's own path in life, is another goal that is especially relevant to college students. This goal requires that students learn to advocate on their own behalf. Throughout this course, you will learn how to encourage and foster this skill with students at Regis University.
If you have the time, watch the following 10 minute TED Talk by comedian and author, Stella Young: https://www.ted.com/talks/stella_young_i_m_not_your_inspiration_thank_you_very_much?language=en
Note that Stella references the "social model" of disability in her speech. Reflect on how her experiences expand on the different views of disability discussed above (e.g., the charity and medical models of disability).