Models of Disability

Models of Disability

Disability: Downs Syndrome

Website 1: http://www.disabilityaction.org/centre-on-human-rights/

Model Represented: Social Model

Reasoning: After doing a quick Google search, I spent some time on this website. It is an organization based out of Northern Ireland. I think that this website really focuses on the social model. As I continued to browse the website, I found that they have a “centre of human rights”. This sparked my interests because when I read the words human rights, I associated them with this social model. As I looked around the website a little more I came across the cartoon below, which I think promotes the social model because it’s all about treating someone with a disability the same way you would treat someone else. Taking another look at the descriptions of the models, I found the following quote which I believe only further makes the case that this organization is definitely based on the social model; “this model implies the removal of attitudinal, physical and institutional barriers will improve the lives of disabled people, giving them the same opportunities as others on an equitable basis”.

Website 2: http://www.familyhopecenter.org/learn-more-about/down-syndrome/

Model Represented: Expert/Professional Model

Reasoning: When looking through this website, I first thought that it could be associated with the medical model. However, upon further reading I think that this organization is more closely related to the professional model. They do align with the medical model in terms of defining the disability, but where I found a big difference is how the disability is actually “treated” (for lack of a better word). On the website, they say that their approach is aimed at treating the source of the problem (the brain) and not the symptoms; whereas, a typical medical model would do the best they could to treat the symptoms.

Website 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMnY5578YQ0

Model Represented: Social Adapted...