The Medical Model of Disability

Abstract

This chapter examines the continuing influence of the “medical model of disability” in Western societies. It first introduces the medical model of disability as a historical and current source of oppression for people with disabilities. Then the chapter discusses the contested concept of “disability” and various disability models from a disability studies perspective. Next, the social model of disability is defined in relation to the medical model. The medical model’s relationship to impairment is clarified, and the chapter demonstrates the ways in which said model’s influence remains widespread, causing tensions. Finally, the chapter contemplates whether the social and medical models can be reconciled, potentially through the incorporation of attention to impairment, as well as amalgamations of the social and medical models within a single theory.