Summary
Despite progress in civil rights, disabled people continue to face outmoded ideas and access barriers that limit their opportunities. That’s why an understanding of disability and accommodations, as well as an understanding of accessibility, is important.
Prevalence and Impact of Disabilities
About 20% of the world and the U.S. population experiences disability during their life span. Compared to non-disabled people, disabled people experience:
- poorer health outcomes
- less educational attainment
- fewer relationships
- higher rates of under- and unemployment
- higher rates of poverty
These social and economic disparities are very often compounded by race, ethnicity, national origin, home language, and system barriers to accessing services.
Ways to Understand Disability
Paradigms for understanding human variation have changed over time.
Social Model
The social model of disability emerged in the 1970s as disabled people began to understand full participation as a civil right. Their activism reshaped public schools, public transportation, higher education, and expectations for employment and enjoyment.
According to the model, the most significant barrier for individuals with disabilities is not the disability itself; rather it is the environment in which a person with a disability must interact. A society that is built to suit non-disabled people reproduces barriers for disabled people.
Outmoded Models
Although they continue to circulate and to limit opportunities for disabled people, the models of disability described next are outmoded. They advance an understanding of disability that is grounded in deficit thinking about individuals. They do not reflect a contemporary legal/policy landscape; they do not contribute to the kind of equitable and inclusive community that we strive for at the University of Minnesota.
- “The Medical Model” understands disability as a problem impacting an individual. In the medical model, a disabled person is understood to be better off when their disability can be cured or overcome. This person is defined uniquely in terms of what they are unable to do.
- “The Moral Model” defines disability as a sign of moral failing, the result of not doing enough of the right things. Inherent in the moral model is a distrust of disabled individuals and their experiences.
- “The Charity Model” defines disability as a tragedy. Disabled experiences are met with pity. They are presumed to be unable to voice their own needs or care for themselves and are often placed in protective settings
- “The Rehabilitation Model” promotes the idea that people with disabilities should work hard to function as “normally” as possible, to avoid causing discomfort or inconvenience to people who don’t experience disability.
Accommodations
To devise suitable accommodations for people with disabilities, contact the Disability Resource Center on your campus. See One DRC.
Learn more about how both accommodations and accessibility are essential to people with disabilities on Web Accessibility: Essential for Some, Useful for All.