Discussion Forum 4

[kbalsara]

1. What examples do you see in your country of the different models of disability?

• Moral Model
• Medical Model
• Social Model

2. What do you think when you see someone with a disability? What model of disability were you raised with? These questions can give your insight into the model you might choose.

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The most predominant models are medical and social. Moral models are no longer predominant because the disability and inclusion movement, advocacy efforts and NGOs work made the social model progressively be advanced over the moral model. The moral model was sustained by the fact that our country is a predominant christian country where every situation has a belief related to it.
As a therapist, when i see someone with a disability i tend to think with the medical model without minimizing the importance of the social model, though i was raised with the moral model.

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In 2016, Mongolia passed the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Based on basic human rights principals, “It recognizes that disability is a natural part of human diversity that must be respected and supported in all its for People with disability have the same rights as everyone else in society.Before that we had Moral model. The saddest thing is that the Medical and Social models have been developing for last 20 years.

The most important thing to remember when you interact with people with disabilities is that they are people. Their disability is just one of the many characteristics they have. People with disabilities have the same needs we all do: first and foremost among them is to be treated with dignity and respect.

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I see all moral, medical and social model examples. Predominant is medical model. When I see someone with disability I think social model. I raised with medical model.

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Well the fact Medical model is more common to what i see in my country since very few medical professionals are informed about the care for people with disability and in the few rehabilitation facilities with well informed rehabilitation professionals the Moral model can be witnessed since these professionals understand that disability in not inability they therefore focus on how to make the affected clients adapt to their different environment by provision of the required ATs.

[Yasmin Garcia Mendez]

1. What examples do you see in your country of the different models of disability?

Moral Model- I had a friend in school when I was a child who had some kind of cognitive impairment. He mother said to me that she was born like that because she did something wrong in other life.
Medical Model – Parents making every effort for their children to walk after being born with a medical condition that prevent them from walking. It take some time form them to realize and accept the little girl or boy won’t walk or won’t use “normal” ways to move around.
Social Model – I have a cousin who had an accident and had a spine injury. He is independent using a wheelchair, lives by himself, works and is productive. Still he has a person who helps him a lot for transfers.

2. What do you think when you see someone with a disability? What model of disability were you raised with? These questions can give you insight into the model you might choose.

I grown up thinking that a person should be respected and included. The girl from my school was my friend, I was the only person she invited to her home when we were at school. I think my cousin could be even more independent and have a family if he wants. I always see ways on how people could be more independent, ways that other persons might not see, and sometimes people think I am not realistic. I think I am more inclide to social and medical model.

[Tshering Penjor]

Currently in Bhutan, it is generally the medical and social model of disability. Medical model because people think everything can be fixed or mended by surgery or medicines and that concept is even at the level of health care professionals. Due to this the rehabilitation usually gets delayed and ignored.

The public structures and buildings are not so disable friendly and accessible. Even the footpaths and ramps are built inappropriately. But the place where i was born and brought up still adheres with the traditional model and ignores the peoples with disabilities.

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In Uganda,
Moral model Examples;
=>Individuals with disabilities are often perceived as being cursed or possessed by evil spirits.
=>In some rural areas of Uganda, children with disabilities are hidden away from public view or even killed.

Medical Model Examples;
=> In Uganda, some individuals with disabilities are seen as sick or broken and in need of medical intervention or rehabilitation.

Social Model examples;
=>many people with disabilities continue to experience barriers to participation in society e.g some disabled people don’t share plates with general public

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My initial encounters with individuals with disabilities are primarily through the lens of the medical model. Because i see disability as a personal impairment, a biological defect that needs to be cured or managed. Seeing someone with a disability, I often feel a sense of pity or sadness, focusing on their limitations rather than their abilities. My concerns center around their struggles, their need for assistance, and the challenges they might face

[Albert Erongu]

I see all three models; moral, medical, and social. the medical model is predominant in Uganda currently social inclusion and advocacy. However, As I was raised it was considered moral due to assumed punishment or curse from God. This perception changed as time evolved to a medical model and passionate of improving the functionality of persons with disability.

[Hoeung HEAM “[email protected]”]

In Cambodia. the three model are currently used.
1) Moral model is used only it is build from our sociocultural but also political. For example, people accept the reality that someone using a wheelchair cannot do good work thus they cannot make income for themselves, thus giving them money, food, and material is good thing to do. However, the medical model is commonly see or hear among people including medical team. The most obvious is that government guideline on identification of disability define disability in a medical way. Currently, with more than a decade of civil society advocacy, the government now start to define disability in a social model by issuing the latest guideline for disability identification using washing town group together with ICF. Right based is commonly heard from civil society agencies/NGOs.

2) As a person involved in rehabilitation and disability for more than two decades as well as the experience working with INGOs, I am understanding the social and right based definition of disability. I know what is impairment and what is disability in reference to ICF. Therefore, I do not use the work disability interchange with impairment. In term of disability models, my daily and professional life is inline with this model. Of course, in term of support, as a person in a society with many deep in spiritual, sometimes, I have to be flexible in my interaction. However, as a physiotherapist, my service to public users will always clear about medical and social model, and the latter is also way the ultimate goal.

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in tanzania all model are applied but mostly medical model
once i see a pesrson with disability i think need to be attended hollistically with all model be applied to iprove the quality of his/her life

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in tanzania all model are applied but mostly medical model
once i see a pesrson with disability i think need to be attended hollistically with all model be applied to improve the quality of his/her life

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In Tanzania, I’d say the moral model and medical model are more prevalent. For example, through my conversations with the National Eye Program Coordinator, I was told that there is a stigma attached to children wearing eyeglasses, because it makes them look more smarter or arrogant. And in these instances, the parents actually break the glasses that are given to the child.

The medical model is also prevalent; disability is seen as a defect in which you must seek treatment/therapy from a clinical institution (i.e. hospital). This is also the model that I basically grew up with; where the person is seen with the impairment and the person has to be fixed, rather than the disability being part of their identity.

While Tanzanian policies are trying to more towards a more social model of disability, implementation has not reached optimal levels and there is still some work to be done.

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Examples of Different Models of Disability in Nigeria
Moral Model:
Example: In some Nigerian communities, disability such as blindness is often viewed through a moral–spiritual lens. People with blindness are seen as bearing the consequences of their past actions or those of their parents.
Medical Model:
Example: Rehabilitation services, such as those provided for polio survivors or those injured in accidents, often emphasize the medical aspects of recovery.
Social Model:
Example: The Nigerian National Disability Act embodies principles of the social model by advocating for the removal of societal barriers and promoting accessibility and inclusion. Efforts to make public buildings accessible, provide inclusive education, and promote employment opportunities for people with disabilities reflect this model.

What do you think when you see someone with a disability?:

Being a medical practitioner, even though I feel empathy and a desire to help, I always view disability from the medical lens and try to decipher what must have led to it and the treatment modalities available and accessible for the individual to live an optimal life.

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1. In Tanzania, different models of disability are evident across society. The Moral Model often manifests in traditional beliefs where disabilities are viewed as a result of supernatural forces or punishment, leading to stigma and marginalization. The Medical Model is prominent in healthcare, where disabilities are primarily treated as medical conditions requiring clinical intervention, often overlooking the socio-economic factors at play. However, the Social Model is increasingly being recognized by advocacy groups and policymakers, emphasizing the importance of creating inclusive environments and addressing societal barriers that prevent people with disabilities from fully participating in community life.

2. When I see someone with a disability I think of the medical model because that is what is more relevant to me currently, and I believe I was raised around that as well.

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