Social Model of Disability

What it means

The social model of disability draws a distinction between impairment (a physical, sensory, or cognitive difference) and disability (the disadvantage caused by a society that doesn't accommodate that difference). Under this model, a wheelchair user isn't disabled by their legs—they're disabled by stairs. An autistic person isn't disabled by their neurology—they're disabled by environments that demand constant masking, sensory endurance, and social performance.

This framework emerged from disability rights activism in the 1970s and 1980s, primarily through the work of disabled scholars like Mike Oliver. It challenged the medical model, which treats disability as a problem located inside the individual that needs to be cured or managed. The social model doesn't deny that impairments exist or that they can be painful—it argues that much of the suffering attributed to disability is actually caused by inaccessible design, discriminatory attitudes, and structural exclusion.

For neurodivergent communities, the social model is foundational. It's the intellectual basis for arguing that the solution to ADHD in the workplace isn't medication alone—it's also flexible scheduling, written instructions, and sensory-friendly environments. The problem isn't just inside the person; it's also in the world around them.