Chapter 2 and 3 Discussion Post – Frances Dunlop
Chapter 2
Chapter 2 presents different models of disability, reflects on how they were formed and their
impact on higher education and the community of disability. Evans et al., (2017) write about
how historical development has shifted from traditional established models, including the
moral model, the medical model, and the functional limitations model, to different
approaches, including the social model, critical disability theory, and critical Realism. This
development continued to the crystallization of a social justice approach that identifies
disability as a socially constructed event, giving way to the social justice model. This
historical development has led to more recent emerging models, such as the disability justice
movement and the interactionist model. I found the appendix extremely valuable in this
chapter as it gave the definition of each model, its main purpose or goal, and a practitioner
column of what professionals should know about each. This allowed me to collate the key
parts of each model and understand how each has paved the way in developing a new
approach through their limitations with the community at that time, as well as identify the
potential in more modern approaches.
Established Models of Disability
Three models fall under this heading, including the medical model, the rehabilitation model,
and the functional limitations model. The medical model views those with disabilities as
having an individual deficit where the problem is a result of the individual alone, who needs
treatment to cure or manage their symptoms. Medical professionals are the ones in control
and are at the forefront of diagnosing, treating, and rehabilitating individuals with disabilities.
Within this model, all focus lies on the medical field and none on the community or the
environment that could change and adapt. I believe the infrastructure of our environment can
set the tone to how we interact with it, determining who is able to be a part of and as a result
isolating many and creating divisions. It is up to the individual with the disability to seek
treatment to allow them to participate or access the environment (Evans et al., 2017, p. 59).
The rehabilitation model has some similarities to the medical model in that it assumes all
responsibility for the individual to change and adapt to fit the norm. They see this as possible
through therapy and training by trained professionals. The functional limitations model looks
at the limitations an individual can face because of their disability and continues to only focus
on the individual changing themselves to function more successfully in their environment.
Discussion Point
One discussion point at the end of chapter 2 asks Which models of disability most closely
align with or inform current practices on your campus? I feel that the functional limitation
model is most familiar to me, specifically when it comes to children with Autism or ADHD. I
feel schools and teaching professionals often put increased responsibility on the parents to
find the support for the child to attend school, and the focus is mainly on what the learner has
to do to change themselves to fit the school environment. Often, when we look at how the
environment can change or how teaching practices can be adapted to be more inclusive, it can
be met with resistance. I feel this resistance comes from having to put effort into benefiting
one learner, which then isn't fair to the majority. What I try to advocate for is that often the
changes we make for one learner then benefit many, and they create a more inclusive space
for everyone, not just the one learner who may have sparked that step to reevaluate how the
environment works. I’ve experienced many students benefiting from visual aids, multiple
ways to show learning, physical materials to demonstrate skills, timers, calming spaces,
fidget and sensory tools, lists, chunking of work tasks, prompting aids and so forth and has
enhanced learning experiences for both the students and the teachers.
Critical Approaches to Disability
The social model believes that disability comes from society's barriers and attitudes, and
moves away from the idea that it is a result of only the person. Its goal is to put responsibility
on others to remove environmental barriers and create more inclusive settings. Critical
disability theory supports the notion that disability can be fluid and change over time, and
avoids defining what disability is. Critical Realism looks at the interaction between the
individual and contextual factors, including their impairment, their personality, their attitude,
the setting, policies, and culture (Shakespeare, 2014, p. 77). What was interesting about the
development of this model is how it took into consideration individual experience and wider
social factors.
Social Justice (Ableist or Disability Oppression) Model
This model addresses the attitude and perception that a disability is a negative thing, and
instead of trying to fix, cure, or change it, it focuses on the oppressive culture that surrounds
it. It looks to eliminate the idea of ableism, redefine what normal means, and what is
standardized. It calls for respect and more inclusive policies, practices, and environments,
including educational settings. What feels so promising about this and encapsulates social
justice for me is the need to celebrate the talent of individuals with disabilities. This can be
done by allowing them a shared opportunity to showcase their skills for others to see. I
believe this to be a powerful step forward because if society sees more disabilities in all areas
of their life, whether it be at school, on TV, or in their community, they become more aware
of what disability can mean and break down the limiting perceptions that have historically
been sewn. If all steps at school were accompanied by a ramp or elevator, that would become
the norm of what it looks like for people to move around, instead of viewing a ramp as a rare
or added accommodation because of one or two people who use it. This starts to create a
more inclusive and diverse environment.
Chapter 3
Chapter 3 continues to advocate for a social justice approach to tackle disability law in higher
education and presents the legal frameworks that have come into effect in the U.S. Evans et
al., (2017) identify key legislation, individuals who set a president or showed hope for others
including returning veterans, Harold Scharper who open doors at the University of Illinois-
Galesburg and Edward Roberts who inspired the Rolling Quads disability activist group at
the University of California-Berkeley (Evans et a., 2017, p, 94). Chapter 3 shows the
development from the early laws from colonization to the 1900s to improved economic
opportunity and integration up to 1945 and into the second half of the 20th century, where
basic assistance that was put in place greatly expanded to include civil rights protection
despite still being led by able-bodied individuals who held the power.
Rehabilitation Act of 1972
One big change that I interpreted as making a permanent step forward and one that would be
used time and time again in shaping new policies is the Rehabilitation Act of 1972. This
legislation resulted in equal access for individuals with disabilities to both private and public
postsecondary schools. This pushed organizations and universities to address how accessible
their buildings were and change the architecture to accommodate all students. Crucially,
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act defined what impairment was in relation to an
individual with a disability. Doing this shifted the perception and attitude from the existence
of an impairment and onto what impact the impairment had (Evans et al., 2017, p. 97). Thus
far in my learning, redefining the definition of disability was huge in the historical
development of and drive for social justice, and hence why it is still used today (albeit not the
same outdated language) in laws. I took section 504 as the biggest shift away from viewing
those with disabilities as a burden, unworthy of being full members of society, where
education, voting and living a purposeful life where not available, and onto forcing
educational organizations to look at how they could change to match a growing view and
understanding of what disability meant. For the first time in history, individuals with
disabilities were entitled to access higher education as long as they met the academic
qualification criteria, and they could not be rejected because of their disability or any
associated impairment. The reason I focused on the Rehabilitation Act for this part of the
discussion is that I feel it put pressure on institutions to do their part, view disability through
a capable and equal lens, and put in place accommodations to allow those with disabilities to
access their campus and their programs. There is no doubt that more was needed. However,
this struck me as a huge milestone in history.
References
Evans, N. J., Broido, E. M., Brown, K. R., & Wilke, A. K. (2017). Disability in higher
education: A social justice approach. John Wiley & Sons.
Shakespeare, T. (2014). Disability rights and wrongs revisited. (2nd ed.). New York.
NY: Routledge.
