Accessibility Quick Guide

Disability is seen as a health condition that affects an individual's body. It's considered a problem of diagnosis, treatment, and, if possible, cure.

A clinician assessing a person in a wheelchair focuses on the underlying diagnosis. Then they consider what medical intervention might restore mobility.

The medical model isn't wrong about biology. But it's limited to treating the person's body as the only site of the problem. It ignores inaccessible environments and social barriers.

Disability is created by the gap between a person's body or mind and an environment that wasn't designed to include them. The barrier is in the world, not the person.

A wheelchair user isn't disabled by their legs. They are disabled by buildings with stairs and no ramps. Remove the stairs, and the disability largely disappears.

Critics argue that the social model downplays the real limitations caused by impairments. They assert that not every barrier is architectural or attitudinal.

Disability comes from a mix of health issues, personal experiences, and social or physical environments. It is biological, personal, and contextual.

The model shows how these three factors work together to produce functional outcomes. The World Health Organization (WHO) used this model to develop its ICF framework. ICF is an abbreviation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.

This model supports the ICF framework. Understanding this link explains why the ICF is seen as more complete than just medical or social views.

Disability means reduced ability to work and earn money, which can make a person a cost to productivity and welfare systems.

Insurance and benefits systems often define disability based on how much a condition hinders work. Someone who can work part-time is assessed differently from someone who can't work at all.

This model influences policy and funding decisions. It often views disability as an economic burden rather than a matter of participation and rights.

Disability is a practical issue that technology and design can address. The goal is to provide functional solutions, not to debate the cause of the barrier.

An engineer creating a screen reader isn't questioning if blindness is a medical or social issue. They are building a tool for independent access to information.

This model drives much of the development of assistive technology. It is useful, but it can depoliticise disability by treating it as a technical challenge and ignoring systemic change.

Disability is a valued part of human diversity and cultural identity. It is not a flaw to fix but a trait that influences experiences and communities.

Many Deaf people do not see deafness as a disability. They belong to a linguistic and cultural community linked by sign language, shared history, and unique norms.

The Deaf community is a prime example, but the model also appears in autistic self-advocacy. Not everyone with a condition is identified in this way, and views differ widely.

Disabled people are often seen as objects of pity who rely on the kindness of non-disabled individuals. Support is viewed as generosity rather than a right.

Fundraising campaigns sometimes depict disabled children as tragic figures needing rescue. This is an example of the charity model at work.

Disability rights advocates criticise this view. They argue that it presents disabled people as passive recipients, not as citizens with rights. Yet, this perspective remains common in public messaging and fundraising.