Beyond models: Understanding the complexity of disabled people’s lives

Abstract

The social model approach to understanding disability reflects the growth of the disability movement, and emphasizes the role of discrimination and prejudice in the lives of disabled people. The social model has become more than just a theoretical model or paradigm for research: it has become a litmus test, a means of identifying with a particular disciplinary grouping. Broadly speaking, if you support the social model you are perceived as a disability studies scholar; if you question it you are seen as a medical sociologist.