Why we do not need a ‘stronger’ social model of disability

Abstract

Recent calls to amend the social model of disability to articulate and defend a broader set of rights for people with disabilities should be met with critical reflection. For example, Berghs et al. suggest a move to a ‘stronger’ social model - one that acts as a response to the threats against disabled people’s human rights. While the article brings to the forefront the many violations of human rights present in the lives of people with disabilities, it nonetheless mischaracterizes the solution. While people with disabilities do face tremendous injustices, many of which can rightly be thought of as violations of human rights, the proper target of our concern should be on how we conceptualize the notions of equality and justice to inform sound policy, and not on how we model the experience of disability. I suggest these arguments put the cart before the horse.