By Baby Vineetha
Inclusive education is an approach to ensure all students receive education regardless of their abilities, culture, language, gender, religion and race. Success of this education system depends on how educators and authorities observe this model of the education system and how they implement the system to access all students’ diversities (Graham, 2020). The following sections will describe the social model of disability, medical model and will compare the social model with the medical model.
The social model of disability states that the barriers created by society make people disabled; for example, some people assume that people with disability cannot do specific duties or jobs (“Social model of disability | Australian federation of disability organizations”, 2020). Most of the buildings, bus stops and railway stations are designed without considering the comfort of the people with disabilitiy. This indicates that disability is socially constructed, and these barriers may restrict people with disabilities to achieve their desired goal (Graham, 2020). Therefore, society needs to remove the barriers for the people with disabilities and should ensure the inclusion of the people with disabilities to the community.
What are the major barriers?
When discussing the social model of disability, it is necessary to differentiate between impairments and disabilities. “The impairments are a long-term characteristic of an individual that affects their body, mind or senses. For example, someone whose dementia makes it difficult for them to remember things”(Hughes, 2010, p.509). The difficulties arise due to the barriers generated by society, such as building design and attitudes of people (Hughes, 2010). Moreover, in the education system, the barriers may occur due to the attitudes of educators and the school authorities about the abilities of the students with disability (Graham, 2020). The major barriers for the students with disability are the classroom design, timetable, and teaching methods. The social model accepts that the problems are not with the people with disability, but it is in the society itself (Hughes, 2010; Graham, 2020). As per the social model, if a person with disability cannot access a building means it is not the problem of that individual, but the building. Therefore, the building needs to be designed for accessibility of all people with or without disability. Moreover, if a student with autism who is very sensitive to light and colors, it is necessary to adjust the classroom ambiance according to the needs of the student. Therefore, social model has been influenced by the philosophy of inclusive education
Medical Model
The medical model indicates that disability has occurred due to the individual impairments and is usually characterized as medical conditions (Graham, 2020). The medical model describes, ranks, and classifies the disabilities and impairments, which is necessary for the medical treatments (Hughes, 2010). It asserts that people with disability have to adjust to the circumstances which the society put forwards in order to become a part of the community. For example, according to the medical model, if a person with a wheelchair cannot access a building implies that it is due to the problem of that person, but not the buildings. Therefore, the medical model of disability is building a boundary between people with disability and people without disability (Ong-Dean, 2005).
The medical model of disability is under the philosophy of special education approach, and they believe that the students with disability is special so that they need special care (Triano, 2000). For example, a student with autism who is very sensitive to light and colors, the medical model says that it is not the responsibility of teachers and school authority for finding the solution, but the parents are responsible for fixing the problem of their child. In order to do that the medical model refers the parents to find help from professionals such as doctors and specialized teachers (Manago, Davis, & Goar, 2017).
To conclude, once again mentioning the differences between the medical model and social model in the following table.Medical modelSocial modelDisability is a medical problem or impairment of an individualDisability occurred due to barriers created by the societyDisability is negativeDisability is neutral Disability is an individual problem, it is their responsibility to fix the problem, and need to adjust with the society.It is the responsibility of the society to adjust with the people with disability. The society needs to remove the barriers and provide equal access to all individualIt is a special approachIt is an inclusive approach
References
Hughes, R. (2010). The social model of disability. British Journal of Healthcare Assistants, 4(10), 508–511. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjha.2010.4.10.79078
Graham, L. (2020). Inclusive education for the 21st century: theory, policy and practice. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
Manago, B., Davis, J., & Goar, C. (2017). Discourse in Action: Parents’ use of medical and social models to resist disability stigma. Social Science & Medicine, 184, 169–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.05.015
Ong-Dean, C. (2005). Reconsidering the social location of the medical model: An examination of disability in parenting literature. Journal of Medical Humanities, 26(2-3), 141–158. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10912-005-2915-1
The ‘Social Model’ of Youth Disability. (2020). Retrieved 20 March 2020, from https://youthdis-abilityaustralia.weebly.com/the-social-model-of-youth-disability.html
Social Model of Disability | Australian Federation of Disability Organizations. (2020). Retrieved 20 March 2020, from https://www.afdo.org.au/social-model-of-disability/
Triano, S. (2000). Categorical eligibility for special education: The enshrinement of the medical model in disability policy. Disability Studies Quarterly, 20(4).
Easel Education 