Disabilities are inextricably diverse in their
origins, types, manifestations, and effects upon different
individuals. In fact, two or more people with the same
disability may be affected in radically different ways and
to very different extents. Etiologically, birth defects can
cause disabilities, either congenitally or during the
labour and delivery process. Both of these birth defects
can result from inadequate medical care at any point in
the pregnancy, labour, or delivery process. Additionally,
environmental factors, illnesses, traumas, accidents,
including land mines, wars, and other violent conflicts,
can result in disabilities. In turn, models of disability
offer a causal explanation, a constitutive explanation, or
both for disability. The social model of disability studies
has been utilised in this article as a means of shedding
traditional and preconceived notions about people with
disabilities. The article has been influenced by
Oguburn's cultural theory from 1964 and
Wolfernsberger's Normalisation from 1980. In this
article, I review an evaluation of the social model and
discuss how I think it has the potential to improve the
lives of people with disabilities. I also emphasise the
unjustified criticisms of it and the terrible impacts these
have had on Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). The social
model is briefly discussed as a concept, ideology, and
practice at the beginning of this article. The social model
in research is then explored. This paper offers
implications and points of view from various emerging
studies on how to better include PWDs in practice,
building on the work of earlier researchers who have
written extensively on various models of disability
studies.
Keywords :
Social Model, Disability, Inclusion.