Cak Fu

Traditionally, disability is viewed as a medical problem rather than a social problem and therefore, medical treatments are perceived as the best way to solve the problems of disability. This view focuses on bodily abnormality, disorder or deficiency, and the way in which this in turn causes some degree of disability or functional limitations. In this medical model, disability is seen as a contrast to the notion of normalcy, a state that an average human being should be in. In addition, this model also places people with impairment in a dependent position. Furthermore, disabled people are even assumed not to be able to make decisions by themselves.

This perception results in the social attitude and behaviour that put disabled people as objects of pity. Even worse, disabled people are expected to make extra efforts in terms of individual adjustment and coping strategy in order to make the best of their circumstances. Disabled people have to deal with such personal experiences which are related to their personal emotions and psychological well-being. These personal experiences can be compared to the five stages of personal adjustment that people with severe spinal injury has to go through. The first reaction is shock and horror, this is then followed by denial or despair that any recovery is possible, and then leading to anger at others, and finally to depression as a necessary preliminary to coming to terms with their diminished circumstances. Finally, the central trust of the individual model is to cast disability as a personal tragedy where the individual concerned must depend on others for support: Hence, the assumption of disability in health term is pathology and in welfare term is a social problem.

Since the 1970s, the paradigm of disability has changed into that propagated by the social model, where disabled activists and their organisations criticise the individual and medical model of disability. The social model approach concentrates on a set of causes established externally: that is, as obstacles imposed on disabled people who limit their opportunities to participate in society. The social model focuses on the experience of disability, but not as something which exist purely at the level of individual psychology, or even interpersonal relation.

Turner and Layder illustrated three potential applications of different sociological approaches to the study of disability and impairment. The first level is exploring the experience of disability at the micro level, with particular reference to the attitudes and feelings of the individual with impairment. The second level is to pay attention to social roles and norms. The main institution of social controls are classifying and regulating the social construction of disability which is related to stigma and stereotype. The third level encompasses the study of the overall social systems including system of health, education, and social welfare for disabled people, how these link to the state, economy, and social policy. Thus, disability can not be seen simply as social problem but it involves an interdisciplinary approach which influences to the others.

Social scientists believe that disability is constructed by the society. Tom Shakespeare argues that disability has been conceived as an outcome of social processes or as a constructed or created category. Furthermore, the notion of disability has been imposed by social power into a social culture in which such negative stereotypes and stigmas are attributed to someone who is categorised as disabled person. Disability is always linked to inferiority, shamans, and other negative statuses. This negative cultural perception has influenced to social attitude and behaviour of society towards disabled people. Disability is something imposed on top of our impairments by the way we are unnecessarily isolated and excluded from full participation in society. Disabled people are therefore an oppressed group in society. As a result, disabled people are excluded from the social activities even in their family.

The social exclusion towards disabled people widely occurs in all aspect of social life such as education, health care, employment, political participation, and public facilities e.g. public transports and public buildings. In education system, disabled people are always considered as having low intellectual capability and therefore they are separated from the normal schools. Moreover, disabled people are politically powerless and voiceless. As a result, this condition has affected to social policies which made by government and social institutions do not have a sensitivity of disability perspective.

Finally, social model of disability is aimed to promote a social inclusion life of disabled people. It ensures the respect and dignity of individuals with disabilities. It does not pry into medical histories or diagnoses, and it guards against the casual exchange of privileged information. It speaks and listens to the individual with a disability. Furthermore, inclusion society should respect to an equal opportunity for disabled people to participate in social activities as well as in a social services. The inclusion society does not discriminate a minority group including disabled people to contribute equally to the social community. Therefore, diversity and equality should be seen as potential social assets to build the inclusive society where persons with disabilities are welcomed and valued for their contributions as individuals. The presence of a disability is not seen as a detriment. Rather, disability is valued as part of the range of diversity that exists in the human condition.