Models of Disability

In this post, I cover the three models of disability and why they all kind of fall short. For context, I come from seven-ish years of working, volunteering, and doing research in Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) settings and thirty-two years of having an SCI injury myself; a pesky little C-spine (cervical spine is like your neck-ish area) impingement that I suffered at birth which messed up most of my functioning on my left side.

The purpose of discussing these models is not to highlight how limiting some of them are, but rather to demonstrate how they’re all limiting in some way. Neither model is better or worse than the next because they’re all crummy. Now, without any more meandering, here are some models. And just for the fun of it, I’ll use myself as an example as we run through these models!

The Moral Model

The moral model of disability frames disabling experiences as a question and product of morality. For example, a person’s disability may be imagined as a consequence of their karma or the actions they took in their past life (not the same thing), or a punishment for committing a sin. A person’s disability can also be positioned as a “test” from a higher power meant to strengthen or test their faith. Within this model, disability can bring about shame and isolation, but also feelings of pride or spiritual and moral growth if the person “overcomes” their disability to live a socially productive life.

This moralistic view can give rise to the portrayal of disabled characters as “evil” in popular media. It can also position disabled characters as “inspiring” or even superhuman. Think Daredevil (or any Paralympian).

In my experience, my disability wasn’t a punishment for a wrongdoing nor was it a catalyst for me to become a stronger and better person. If anything, I’m a little more bitter and a lot crankier with people because of it. Most disabled folks I know are regular people. They go grocery shopping, they have families, sometimes they’re mean and other times they do really dumb things, like all of us do. They’re not paragons of virtue nor are they evil. They’re just kind of vibe out and pay their mortgage.

The Medical Model

The medical model of disability positions disability as a failing of a body system and strives to restore function and return the disabled person to their “normal”. What is normal? No one knows, but a lot of people have very strong opinions about it. The medical model positions doctors and healthcare providers as the experts of what disability is (and isn’t) and often overlooks the subjective experiences of disabled folks. This can get out of hand pretty quickly and veer into the direction of eugenics if not closely monitored.

In my case, the doctors were dead-set on making me look as “normal” as possible, even if they couldn’t get me to function normally. For a while, there was talk of severing my left bicep as it is permanently stuck in flexion. This surgery would render my left arm pretty much useless, but it would elongate it, making my two arms the same length.

I didn’t go through with the surgery. My left arm is kinda short and crooked, but at least it works.

The Social Model

The social model of disability posits that disabled people are 1) disabled because of their environment, not their. bodies, and 2) that disability is a form of identity and culture. According to the social model, disabled individuals are limited in their participation by the barriers that exist in a world structured for able-bodied people. The model also discusses how having a disability in and of itself is a part of collective identity and culture. If you’ve ever hung out with a group of people who share a disability, you quickly saw that there’s a vibe and a way of doing things that is very much them.

As far as the environment goes, things like ramps, automatic doors, hand controls for cars, and a myriad of other accommodations can reduce the barriers to participation for disabled folks. Policy can also reduce barriers such as making it mandatory for employers to accommodate disabilities and making it illegal to discriminate based on disability. Easier said than done.

At first, most people don’t recognize that I’m disabled. I tend to wear baggy clothes, so no one can see how underdeveloped my shoulder is and I use my right arm to reach for things. I also have several nifty ways I can pivot and use my right arm to assist my left when need be. The truth is, I need no accommodations to do most work. I do, however, struggle with some Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) like washing my hair and getting dressed. Even typing for long periods of time is pretty fatiguing.

Culturally, I also don’t quite fit in with other disabled folks because I don’t appear disabled even though I very much have a physical disability. I also didn’t have any disabled people around me when I was growing up in the 90s and so my strategy to survive was to act as able-bodied as possible and lay low whenever I couldn’t.

So Where Does That Leave Us?

In a kind of complicated spot, that’s where. There’s no arguing that no matter the accommodation, there are things some disabled people won’t be able to do. For example, I’ll never stop having a harder time getting dressed or have an easier time rock climbing. I am also not a fan of portraying disabled people as always optimistic and morally virtuous because that’s just not true. I know some disabled jerks. I also know some pretty amazing disabled people. But all of them are just people and they come with their outlooks, their ambitions, and their flaws. And finally? I bet a lot of disabled folks would want to ditch their disability if they could (or at least the pain and frustrations that come with it) and without the medical model we wouldn’t have such an emphasis on treatment and cure for those who want it.

That’s why I needed to write The Dragonfly Gambit. I needed a character who was highly competent, but still disabled. Someone who had the right moral compass, but very twisted methods. I wanted a disabled character who was angry, and horny, but sometimes soft. I needed a story that wasn’t about cure or optimism, but rather the grit it takes to make it in the world when some part of your body doesn’t work.

Which segues nicely into some writing news…

Writing News

If you are Canadian and voting for the Auroras, it would mean the world to me if you considered “Svitla” for your short story nomination. First appearing in the Embroidered Worlds: Ukrainian Fantastic Fiction Anthology, “Svitla” is a story about complicated mother/daughter relationships, and how it’s never too late to love your kid. You can find the full story on the SFWA forum (link above) or feel free to email me for the PDF or e-pub!

If you’re voting for the Locus Awards, consider “The Succubus and the Store Clerk” first published in Baffling Issue #13! It’s on the Locus Reading List and everything! And it’s the most romantic thing I’ve written so far.

Finally, I had two stories this month released to read for free!

A Matter of Taste in Hexagon Issue 16

For The Pollinators in Seize the Press Issue 09

Phew! And that’s all for now! Keeping to have more updates for you in April and as always, thanks for reading!

Cheers!