In my last post I gave an outline and some musical context to The Social Model of Disability. In this post, I wanted to take a moment to share some of the perceived limitations and even criticisms of the model. This is shared not because I dislike the model, but because I think it’s an idea good enough to be critiqued. To paraphrase a line from Robin Ince’s wonderful book: a coherent idea is certainly a useful thing to have. It is something to look at, to interrogate. You can poke ideas with a stick.
Just to be clear: this post is intended as a next step for people wanted to explore the ways in which Disability theories can be criticised. It’s a pointer to much bigger ideas; not a deep academic dive. If you’d like to make that leap, Screwing the Social Model of Disability is a swim in deeper waters.
The Limits of the Social Model.
At first, it can seem almost utopian in principle. The Social Model is such a huge shift in how we think about Disability. It has real transformative power, both for Disabled people and Non-Disabled Allies. As a 90s kid who grew up firmly viewed through a Medical Model filter – a kid who had something wrong with him – I initially found the whole idea empowering and transformative. I still do.
As I’ve deepened my understanding of the Disabled experience, I’ve wanted to interrogate the idea further. Truly great ideas are robust enough to be poked a little. I’ve gone on to critique the Social Model as I’ve got older, and done so very awkwardly at times. I don’t dismiss the Social Model; quite the opposite. But we have to – I believe – recognise it’s limitations and build upon it to create and ever more inclusive future.
Impairment language.
It’s generally accepted that Impairment, rather than Disability is the accepted term to use to describe our Disabled body experience. A growing number of us however, are feeling friction around the word Impairment. It still feels negative; just a few steps away from the term wrong. I’d like to hear and read more neutral language – I have Cerebral Palsy. It’s a condition. Not an impairment. Neither good nor bad, it just is.
Chronic Illness & Pain.
Possibly the most common criticism of the Social Model centres around the lived experience of life with chronic pain. The argument is straightforward: if chronic illness and pain prevent you from actively being part of society, then no amount of Reasonable Adjustments or Ramps or Braille can change your experience. I know of many Disabled people who don’t even get to be part of society.
People who defend the Model in this regard will point to the fact that the Social Model is vital to workplace adjustments that people with chronic pain often need. Whilst I agree this is ideally true, there is more to our human experience than work, and for some Disabled people, the workplace can never be accessible to them in the first place.
A lack of Intersectionality.
The Social Model of Disability views Disability in isolation. That’s useful to a point, of course – it allows us to examine Disabling Barriers fully. But for most people, Disability is an intersectional experience. Many people’s lived experience is also about gender, race, sexuality, and how Disability affects those things. A feminist theory that really stuck in my head was that the Social Model is best suited to White, Middle Class men in Wheelchairs. Queer spaces, Black spaces, Feminist spaces: all of these spaces hold Disabled people too.
One my key riffs in my Disability Inclusion talks is about how my Disabled experience is not intersectional. My experience is useful to explore because it highlights the impact Disability has on privilege. I’m an athletic, white, middle class straight guy. My riff on this helps non-disabled people understand the social corrosion that Disability creates.
My experience asks people to examine the isolated impact of Disabling barriers; a useful thinking tool. But that is not the reality for most Disabled people. I’m part of a very loud minority in the Disabled community. I pay close attention to the criticism of the Social Model because of my place in life; even Disabled people can check their privilege, from time to time.
The Future.
None of this aims to invalidate the Social Model of Disability. It’s a powerful tool that has helped countless Disabled people explore their experience, and made meaningful changes to the way society operates.
I see the Social Model as a foundation; our best platform yet to build an evolving, transient idea of what Disability is and how we view it. That is what I see the future of accessibility to be. To understand Disabled experience teaches us a great deal about what it is to be human, Disabled or not.
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