The Social Model of Disability Implications for Inclusion

Disabilities are inextricably diverse in their origins, types, manifestations, and effects upon different individuals. In fact, two or more people with the same disability may be affected in radically different ways and to very different extents. Etiologically, birth defects can cause disabilities, either congenitally or during the labour and delivery process. Both of these birth defects can result from inadequate medical care at any point in the pregnancy, labour, or delivery process. Additionally, environmental factors, illnesses, traumas, accidents, including land mines, wars, and other violent conflicts, can result in disabilities. In turn, models of disability offer a causal explanation, a constitutive explanation, or both for disability. The social model of disability studies has been utilised in this article as a means of shedding traditional and preconceived notions about people with disabilities. The article has been influenced by Oguburn's cultural theory from 1964 and Wolfernsberger's Normalisation from 1980. In this article, I review an evaluation of the social model and discuss how I think it has the potential to improve the lives of people with disabilities. I also emphasise the unjustified criticisms of it and the terrible impacts these have had on Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). The social model is briefly discussed as a concept, ideology, and practice at the beginning of this article. The social model in research is then explored. This paper offers implications and points of view from various emerging studies on how to better include PWDs in practice, building on the work of earlier researchers who have written extensively on various models of disability studies