ABSTRACT

A paradigm is an ideology or frame of reference. It is the way one perceives, understands, or interprets a topic or issue. Individuals interpret (oft en unknowingly) everything they experience through paradigms, frequently without questioning their accuracy. People simply assume that the way they view things is the way things really are or the way things should be. Paradigms are so ingrained in culture that they seem “natural.” Th ey are a primary source of our attitudes and actions. Awareness of the paradigms that structure our experiences and reactions to them can enable us to identify the sources of our beliefs and attitudes. Analyses undertaken in disability studies and in education propose that, in order to change negative attitudes toward persons with disabilities, we need to shift paradigms. Th at is, we need to fi nd new ways of thinking about disability. In this chapter, we describe the paradigms of the medical model and social model, which shape school and societal responses to persons with disabilities.