Model Of Disability

What is disability? The Disability and Discrimination Act defines disability as “a person with a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities” (Discrimination and Disability Act 7). With this definition, it can be said that societies’ version of disability is wrong. If one were to imagine a moment, when one sees a man booming right in front of one’s eyes, starting to have uncontrollable jitters running through his body, and looking at one and asking “what is the matter?” without even noticing, most of us start to think what is wrong with him. And furthermore, one will unconsciously prescribe him as abnormal or disabled. Such scenarios are common and

its perspective of what disability varies from each individual and community. As a result, people with disabilities are exposed to many inequalities due to the society’s inability to view each other as human beings without any need of labeling everyone.
This paper, taking a social model of disability perspective, aims to discuss how science and technology is actually supporting the medical model of disability, by trying to change/shape the bodies rather than altering the environment.

If the technological devices were to use in order to create an appropriate environment, then there would not be even in a need for a word “disabled.” Therefore, this paper acclaims that disability is more of a social fiction rather than a real entity. It is a social construct which humans impose.

I will start my paper differentiating between the medical model and the social model of disability. the social model of disability says that disability is caused by the way society is organized, rather than by a person’s impairment or difference. In contrast, the medical model of disability links a disability diagnosis to an individual’s physical body. In other words, one sees the environment as the barrier, while one sees the physical body as

mistaken.
Assistive technology consists of devices and services that is used to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of people with disabilities. Even the definition “increased, maintain, or improve … capabilities of people” suggests that there is something wrong with the people since it does not state that “capabilities of the environment.” The most common asstive technology we encounter are as follows: mobility aids, such as wheelchairs, scooters, prosthetic devices; hearing aids such as cochlear implant, or an oral communication aid. Although devices changing the recreation and leisure activities, or environmental control is part of it, we don’t encounter them in daily life.
First of all, I want to use University of California, Los Angeles as an example.

Although UCLA seeks to improve consciousness about disability while trying to reduce any stereotypes r biases among students, and general population, it also implicitly supports for the medical model of disability by having a very limited to almost no environmental control in classrooms and in/around campus. UCLA center for Accessible Education (CAE) facilitates academic accommodations for regularly enrolled students with disabilities. It “provides access to numerous educational opportunities available to students on our campus and empowers students to realize their academic potential.” Yet, does

it?
It has a van service to help the transportation of students with disabilities, which is great. However, it only works between 7:25AM until 5:40PM and has a specific pick-up and drop-off point. For sure, it is following the most logical route possible, but it still differentiates students without disabilities and students with disabilities from each other. They are not waiting the bus together, which steels from the time a disabled and a not disabled person would spend time together. Also, these specific picking/dropping points are more of a barrier and making the route longer than it would normally be. In this case, both time and effort is lost. Lastly, CAE creates and expression that it allows disabled students to access any of the UCLA’s facilities only between the assigned hours. For instance, the library is open for 24 hours and what is a student with disability decides to go to the library at 6pm and want to stay until 2am (which I am sure most of the UCLA students did at least once in their college life). However, it seems like under these circumstances, they cannot have this experience. Overall, these assigned hours, specific spots for pick-up and drop-off although seeking to improve the conditions, it unconsciously supporting the medical model of disability implying that there is something wrong with the people with disabilities, so they can only be at their “best” between specific hours.