Individual Model Of Disability Barriers Essay

The Barrier of Entering

Disability is everywhere; sometimes it is visible and other times it is not. When asked to look for it you can often find it in places you frequently visit but just never have paid enough attention to notice it. According to the world health organization disability is, “any restriction or lack of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered ‘normal’ for a human being” (2004). I currently work at a fast-food restaurant. The doors to this restaurant are not accessible to people with disabilities because they do not open automatically. One day while I was working, a costumer seemed to be having difficulties coming in to place an order, the problem appeared to be that he was unable to open the door while trying to operate his wheelchair. He was frustrated and seemed embarrassed because he required another costumers help to do the task of opening the door, which is often seen as a simple everyday routine. The costumer who was unable to come inside the restaurant is considered to be

an example of disability in this situation. This paper will demonstrate what and how the individual model interprets this example of disability vs. how the point of view of the social model interprets this.

As Oliver suggests the individual model focuses on personal tragedy and implies that it’s the individual’s limitations whether that’s physical or physiological that causes the problem. (1990). In other words, this model emphasizes the dependence on others and states that the individuals with disability are at fault. It interprets the event that occurred at the restaurant to be the individual’s own responsibility due to his inability to physically open the door and walk in. Therefore, the costumer’s conditions which is classified as an illness in this model requires him to depend on those who are considered normal to open the door for him, and the problem that is within the costumer is caused because he has a bodily limitation (Oliver, 1990).
On the other hand, the British social model focuses more on society. Oliver states, “ It is not individual’s limitations… but society’s failure to provide appropriate services” (1990). He further explains how the social model sees these failures as discriminations toward the disabled individuals because these in accessibilities continually only affect the disabled (Oliver, 1990). The social model would interpret the above example of disabilities to be a problem of the physical barriers that is presented within our society. The door is the barrier that has lead to discrimination against costumers with disabilities. The removal of such barriers would require the builders of the restaurant to change their approach and thinking by incorporating the ‘others’ needs.

Shakespeare argues that charity or pity on the costumer will not solve the problem, but rather civil rights will (2006). As discussed in, provinces such as Vancouver and countries such as United States have more accessibility laws and are socially more accessible then Ontario (McGuire, 2014). Assuming Canada would have a general law that is practiced everywhere and it inquires all public places to be accessible for everyone; the barrier in the restaurant I work at would no longer be there according to the social model of disability.

To conclude, the individual model of disability sees the cause of the problem, which was the inability for the costumer to enter the restaurant to be the result of his physical deficits or illness.

The social model requires society to change the way it is structured rather then blaming the individual. In contrast, the individual model makes the costumer feel at fault hence lowers his confidence, but the social model insures the costumer that it was not his fault but rather those who built the doors without thinking about the disabled minorities (Oliver, 1990). The individual model fails to distinguish the difference between impairment and illness and it assumes all bodies with disabilities are in need of medical treatment (Oliver, 1990). Although the social model does distinguish the difference it often dismisses the individual and medical approaches and thus it can be interpreted as rejecting the medical prevention (Shakespeare,

2006).
The difference between these two points of view mean that work is still needed to be done within the individual and within our society. Looking at the individual point of view we see the costumer being the problem and causing a ‘scene’ only because he is unable to open the door due to his mobility impairment. This should not mean that the individual is incapable of living a ‘normal’ life and is in need of medical intervention; likewise the social model is only one of the available options as Shakespeare states (2006). Disability affects everyone thus everyone must work together to create a medically and socially accepting society.