Ssop31 Models of Dissability

1561 Words7 Pages
Disability is defined in different ways. There are a number of models of disability, but the main models of disability are: The Medical model, whereby the disability is considered as the condition, or the affliction, or the illness. The Social model, whereby the disability is considered to be the society which presents the problems and prevents the individual participating fully in social life. And the Psychosocial model, that refers to mental ill health, as well as maladjusted, cognitive and behavioural problems which may prevent the individual functioning in social situations. Up until the early 1970’s people who had an impairment, or an illness were considered as disabled. They were viewed as needing to be cured, or incurable dependants and needing to be placed in an institution. In 1972 The Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation (UPIAS) was formed, when Paul Hunt, who was living in an institution, invited other disabled people to form a disability rights group. They challenged the authorities for the rights of disabled people to control their own lives. They created new definitions of ‘impairment’ and ‘disability’ which formed the basis of the Social model of disability. In comparison, where the Medical model (according to The World Health Organisation) defines an [1] Impairment as: ‘any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function’ and a [1] Disability as ‘any restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being’. The social model defines an [1] Impairment as ‘the functional limitation within the individual caused by physical, mental or sensory impairment’ and a [1] Disability as ‘the loss or limitation of opportunities to take part in the normal life of the community on an equal level
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