Models of Disability

Models of Disability

• Medical Model: views impairment as the problem, emphasizing the individual's bodily imperfections.
• Social Model: views societal structures as the problem, highlighting the complexities of environmental conditions.
• Biopsychosocial Model: integrates medical and social models, considering biological, individual, social, and environmental perspectives.
• Economic Model: defines disability by a person's inability to participate in work, assessing productivity and economic consequences.
• Functional Solutions Model: identifies functional limitations to create and promote solutions.
• Social Identity or Cultural Affiliation Model: refers to deriving one's personal identity from a group membership, especially among deaf people.
• Charity Model: regards people with disabilities as unfortunate and in need of assistance.

Categories and Characteristics of Disabilities and Associated Barriers

Visual Disabilities

• Blindness
• Color blindness
• Low vision

Auditory Disabilities

• Deafness
• Hard of hearing
• Central auditory processing disorder

Deafblindness

Speech Disabilities

• Articulation
• Aphasia
• No speech

Mobility, Flexibility, and Body Structure Disabilities

• Manual dexterity / fine motor control
• Ambulation
• Muscle fatigue
• Body size or shape

Cognitive Disabilities

• Intellectual
• Dyslexia
• Dysgraphia
• Math and computation
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Non-verbal Learning Disability

Seizure Disabilities

• General seizure disorders
• Photosensitive epilepsy

Psychological / Psychiatric Disabilities

• Social
• Emotional
• Behavioral

Multiple / Compound Disabilities

Assistive Technologies

Visual Disabilities

• Blindness and Low Vision
  • Physical World: white cane, service animals, braille, large print, tactile markers, navigation apps
  • Digital: screen readers, screen magnifiers, refreshable braille displays, audio description
• Colorblindness
  • Physical World: glasses, visual filters
  • Digital: color contrast adjusting software

Auditory Disabilities

• Deafness and Hard of Hearing
  • Physical World: visual labels, haptic and visual alerts, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning (CART), hearing aids
  • Digital: captions, audio transcripts, video conferencing for signing or CART
• Auditory Processing Disorder
  • Physical World: room acoustics, graphical organizers, note-taking apps
  • Digital: captions, speech-to-text

Deaf-blindness

• Physical World: white cane, service animal, navigation aids, printed braille
• Digital: screen readers with output to braille, refreshable braille displays, haptic alerts/feedback

Speech Disabilities

• Physical world: text-to-speech software, word prediction software
• Digital: articulation aids, AAC devices, text-based alternatives to speech

Mobility and Dexterity Disabilities

• Physical World: canes, walkers, wheelchairs, prosthetics
• Digital: adaptive keyboards, oversize mice or trackballs, adjustable monitors

Cognitive Disabilities

• Intellectual Disabilities
  • Physical World: simplified environment, AAC, visual/audio alternatives to text
  • Digital: simplified content and interfaces, word prediction software
• Reading and Dyslexia
  • Physical World: picture dictionaries, highlighters
  • Digital: smart pens, screen readers, text-to-speech
• Math and Computation
  • Physical World: graph paper, manipulatives, calculators
  • Digital: text-to-speech, data provided in a data table or accompanied by a text description

Psychiatric / Psychological Disabilities

• Physical World: positive reinforcement, guided meditation, noise monitoring devices
• Digital: apps for mood, stress, and anxiety management

Disability Statistics and Demographics

Global Statistics

• 15% of the world's population lives with some form of disability
• 2-4% experience significant difficulties in functioning
• 1.25 billion people have some form of disability

The Cycle of Poverty

• 20% of the world's poorest people have some kind of disability
• Preventable, curable diseases are a major cause of disability

Global Visual Disability

• 285 million people are visually impaired
• 90% of visually impaired population live in developing countries
• 80% of visual impairments are curable
• Cataract, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration are leading causes

Aging and Disability

• As people age, so does their chance of acquiring a disability
• Age-related changes affect vision, hearing, muscular strength, bone strength, immunity, and nerve function
• In countries with life expectancies over 70 years, people spend an average of 8 years living with disabilities

U.S. Disability Statistics

• In 2016, the overall prevalence rate of people with a disability of all ages in the US was 12.6%
• 39 million of the 317 million individuals of all ages in the US reported one or more disabilities

Etiquette

People-first Language

• Avoid defining someone by their bodily attributes; instead, use people-first language to promote respect and inclusivity.

Quiz about different models of disability, including Medical, Social, Biopsychosocial, and Economic models. Understand the key concepts and perspectives of each model.