You may notice that
disability rights activists appear to see disabilities in a different
light from the general population. Why is that? Well, there are two
ways to look at a disability: the medical model and the social model.
Both are equally valid, but have different uses. After I describe the
two models, I would like to apply them to the disability I'm most
familiar with, autism.
Let's start with the
medical model of disability, since it's the one people are most
familiar with. The medical model can be summed up as being the way a
doctor might look at a disability. The purpose is to describe the
deficits and inabilities associated with the disability. It strives
to find the differences from abled people, and likely causes for
those differences.
In terms of autism,
the medical model states that a person may not fully understand
social interactions, and appear to be lacking in empathy. The person
may appear socially withdrawn, pursuing narrow interests. He/she will
often follow strict routines, or perform repetitive, stereotyped
movements.
The medical model
also looks for causes. Is autism caused by vaccines? Air pollution?
Chemicals in our food? Or is it simply genetic, and we're only
learning in recent decades what to look for?
Since the medical
model is focused on determining the exact nature of a disability, it
can be used as a starting point for understanding. Even a disabled
person can make use of it to better understand him/herself. Once we
know the exact nature of a disability, it's easier to understand how
that disability can affect a person's life.
However, there is a
problem with the medical model. With its focus on a scientific and
medical point of view, it can be easy to lose sight of the fact that
we're looking at human beings, and not simply a set of traits.
This is where the
social model comes in. The social model of disability takes a much
more humanistic approach. The focus is on the ability, rather than
the inability. The goal of the social model is to reduce limitations,
while still honoring the diversity of human abilities.
My favorite
explanation involves a person who is unable to ascend a set of
stairs. According to the medical model, this might be because of
severe nerve damage that has limited the person's proprioception to
the point where it has effectively no function, compounded by reduced
muscle tone in the legs from non-use. The social model would say it's
because there is no ramp. Both views are correct, but while one helps
to understand the condition, the other helps a person accomplish
every day tasks.
Other areas we can
see the social model at work are in the existence of sign language,
service animals, and Braille. We all recognize the meaning of a white
cane. These are all ways in which various disabilities have been
integrated into our society, without needing to see them as problems
that need to be fixed.
Now the question is
how do we apply the social model to autism? Because of the variety of
ways in which autism might manifest in each individual, it's
difficult to come up with a single, clear cut answer. But there are a
few things to keep in mind.
First and foremost,
as with all disabilities, we should never lose sight of the fact that
we're dealing with actual people. It may not seem intuitive to talk
directly to a person, rather than through a caregiver, that seems
socially withdrawn, but doing so, at an age appropriate level, is the
most likely way to make a person feel included.
Repetitive motions,
also called stims, are an important coping mechanism. I could write
an entire post just on this subject. Until relatively recently,
conventional wisdom was to suppress stimming. However, the result of
doing so is usually a meltdown. For now, I'll just say that autistic
people should be allowed to stim, so long as there is no danger of
self-harm or damage to surrounding objects or people.
Adherence to routine
can be viewed as an attempt to reduce unpredictability throughout the
day. Many autistic people have a poor working memory, meaning it can
be difficult to keep track of what you're doing. An established
routine enables a person to overcome this problem by performing daily
tasks in a preset manner, and reduces the likelihood of needing to
adapt to unexpected circumstances.
These are all things
that can help an autistic person function in daily life. But how can
we use the traits of autism to allow a person to really excel?
To start, let's
reexamine how we look at some of the traits. One of them is intense
focus on details. Probably a more concise way to say that is
attention to detail. We normally consider that to be a good thing.
It's a trait that can lead to talent in art or similar trades. In a
workplace environment, an autistic employee would likely be suited to
detail-oriented jobs.
But I think we can
go even further than that. Remember the narrow interests? I prefer to
think of them as focused interests. An autistic person's interests
may not be as broad as a neuronormal person's, but they tend to run
much deeper. Most autistic people can learn about their interests
very quickly. This can be put to use in a variety of ways, depending
on the interest and the person. Be creative.
To sum up the answer
to the original question, disabled people look at disabilities
differently because they tend to use the social model. They don't see
themselves as broken. They see themselves as unique and capable human
beings with their own strengths and weaknesses.
