Disability Identity

Disability is a significant but often marginalised dimension of identity. Sociological approaches to disability have undergone a profound transformation, moving from a medical model (which locates disability in the individual body) to a social model (which locates disability in the barriers created by society). This lesson examines competing models of disability, the construction of disability identity, stigma, and the intersection of disability with other dimensions of inequality.

Key Definition: Disability refers to the physical, sensory, cognitive, or mental health impairments that, in interaction with social barriers, may limit an individual's ability to participate fully in society.

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The Medical Model of Disability

Key Features

The medical model defines disability as an individual problem caused by physical, sensory, or cognitive impairment. It focuses on what is "wrong" with the individual body and seeks medical solutions — treatment, rehabilitation, cure, or management of symptoms.

Under the medical model:

• Disability is defined by medical diagnosis.
• The disabled person is seen as a patient in need of professional help.
• The goal is to restore "normal" functioning or to manage impairment as effectively as possible.
• Disabled people are positioned as dependent — on medical professionals, carers, and welfare services.

Parsons (1951) — The Sick Role

Talcott Parsons (1951) introduced the concept of the "sick role" — a set of social expectations governing how sick people should behave. The sick role involves:

1. Being exempt from normal social obligations (work, school).
2. Not being held responsible for the condition.
3. Being obliged to seek medical help.
4. Being obliged to try to get well.

Parsons' model has been applied to disability, with disabled people expected to accept their condition, seek medical treatment, and cooperate with professionals. However, this positions disabled people as passive recipients of expert intervention rather than active agents in their own lives.

Evaluation (AO3):

• The medical model has been strongly criticised by disability rights activists and sociologists for:
  • Locating the "problem" in the individual rather than in society.
  • Pathologising disabled people — treating them as defective or abnormal.
  • Ignoring the social, economic, and environmental barriers that disable people.
  • Promoting dependency and paternalism rather than empowerment and autonomy.
• However, many disabled people do value medical intervention and support — the social model should complement, not entirely replace, medical approaches.

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The Social Model of Disability

Key Features

The social model of disability was developed by disabled activists and academics, most notably Mike Oliver (1983) and the Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation (UPIAS). It makes a crucial distinction between:

Concept	Definition
Impairment	A physical, sensory, or cognitive difference or limitation in the body or mind
Disability	The social barriers, attitudes, and structures that exclude people with impairments from full participation in society

Under the social model, disability is caused by society, not by impairment. It is the inaccessible buildings, inflexible workplaces, discriminatory attitudes, inadequate public transport, and exclusionary social practices that disable people — not their bodies.

Key Definition: The social model of disability argues that disability is not caused by individual impairment but by the social, economic, and environmental barriers that prevent people with impairments from participating fully in society.

Oliver (1983, 1990)

Mike Oliver (1983, 1990) was one of the most influential proponents of the social model. Oliver himself was a wheelchair user and academic, and he argued that:

1. Disability is a form of social oppression — disabled people are systematically excluded, marginalised, and disadvantaged by social structures.
2. The solution to disability lies not in medical intervention but in removing social barriers — making buildings accessible, providing appropriate support in education and employment, challenging discriminatory attitudes.
3. The medical model serves the interests of medical professionals and the care industry rather than disabled people themselves.
4. Disability should be understood as a political issue — disabled people need to organise collectively to challenge oppression, just as other marginalised groups have done.

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Barnes — Disability and Discrimination

Colin Barnes (1991, 1992) conducted detailed research documenting the extent of discrimination experienced by disabled people in Britain. His key findings included:

• Education: Disabled children were disproportionately placed in segregated "special" schools, denying them access to mainstream education and peer interaction.
• Employment: Disabled people faced systematic discrimination in hiring, promotion, and workplace conditions, resulting in much higher unemployment rates.
• Housing: Much of the housing stock was inaccessible to wheelchair users and people with sensory impairments.
• Transport: Public transport was largely inaccessible, restricting disabled people's mobility and independence.
• Media: Disabled people were either invisible in the media or represented through negative stereotypes (victim, villain, "super-crip" who "overcomes" disability through extraordinary effort).

Barnes argued that these were not isolated problems but evidence of institutional discrimination — systematic patterns of exclusion embedded in the structures of society.

Evaluation (AO3):

• Barnes's research was influential in demonstrating the systemic nature of disability discrimination.
• Legislative changes — the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Equality Act 2010 — have addressed some of the barriers Barnes identified.
• However, many barriers persist: disabled people continue to face higher rates of poverty, unemployment, and social exclusion than non-disabled people.

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Stigma — Goffman (1963)