Models of Disability

Models of Disability are discussed and defined. First, ten functions of models are outlined and described: 1) to provide definitions of disability; 2) to identify the location of the “problem”; 3) to determine causality; 4) to determine responsibility attribution; 5) to determine needs; 6) to determine the professionals who serve IWDs; 7) to determine the academic disciplines that study the disability experience; 8) to serve as a “starting point” for law, policies, and regulations; 9) to serve as a starting point for research studies and development of psychometric instruments by defining variables; and 10) to determine the cultural interpreters of the disability experience. The following models are discussed: the Moral/Religious Model, the Biomedical Model, the Environmental Model, the Social Model, the Functional Model, the Economic Model, and the Civil Rights Model. None of these models is complete and all models are subject to change. Many professionals are not completely aware of the model to which they subscribe. Separate consideration of each model is advocated for both case management with a varying array of service providers and as a way to challenge false assumptions and to enlarge conceptualizations of the disability experience.