I was actually going to make a post about this, but perhaps I will just make a comment here, instead? My own reaction to reading about the social model over the medical model thing was defensiveness, since I'm a scientist, and my thought was first "But there is something wrong if you are not functioning at optimal performance, and there are ways to make that better."
But I thought about it, y'know, attempting desperately to check my privilege, and I think the big sticking point for me that might seem obvious but is never addressed is that the medical model isn't being dismissed in its place. If you want to go to the doctor and say "Give me medicine to make pain stop" or "Help me fit a brace for my leg" or whatever, the social model doesn't interfere there. The social model is for all the other interactions, which are not about individual action but about guaranteeing access to everyone. Which also helps with the problem that applying the medical model to societal interactions puts the onus on the individual to fix things, which is not always possible, especially since disability is closely entwined with class (either as a cause or an effect.)
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
But I thought about it, y'know, attempting desperately to check my privilege, and I think the big sticking point for me that might seem obvious but is never addressed is that the medical model isn't being dismissed in its place. If you want to go to the doctor and say "Give me medicine to make pain stop" or "Help me fit a brace for my leg" or whatever, the social model doesn't interfere there. The social model is for all the other interactions, which are not about individual action but about guaranteeing access to everyone. Which also helps with the problem that applying the medical model to societal interactions puts the onus on the individual to fix things, which is not always possible, especially since disability is closely entwined with class (either as a cause or an effect.)