The Social Model of Disability – Critical Analysis

The aim of this article is to provide a description and analysis of the social model of disability, and how it has developed during the past 40 years. In the first part of article the author presents the origins and basic tenets of the social model of disability emphasizing its key elements: the distinction between impairment and disability and the phenomenon of social oppression. Next, he describe the benefits of the social model. In the remainder of this article, the author analyze the main weaknesses of the social model of disability. The paper concludes with some reflections on the need to change in understanding of disability