G672

Which of the following do you consider to be disabled?

WHITEBOARD QUIZ!!!!

1. How many people do MIND estimate suffer from a mental illness?

2. What are the three different approaches to mental illness?

3. Which two groups are most likely to be diagnosed with depression?

4. When entering a mental institution, what is ‘mortification of the self’ (as described by Goffman)?

5. Which psychologist sent participants in his experiment into mental institutions, pretending to be mentally ill… (bonus point…and what were they all diagnosed with?)

6. Why did slaves run away from their “owners”?

Learning Objectives  Define the concept of disability.  Outline and evaluate approaches to disability by two sociological models: 1. The biomedical model 2. The social model

Individually: On Your Whiteboards  Provide your own single-sentence definition of disability.  What does it mean to be ‘disabled’?

‘Official’ Definition In the UK, a disabled person is considered to be “anyone with a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect upon their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”. Are there any problems with this definition?

Discuss  Are you aware of any UK legislation/laws geared towards disabled people?

Legislation The 1995 Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) Guarantees legal protection to disabled people in a range of areas/situations.

The Extent of Disability  Over 10 million people in the UK are disabled.  6.8 million of these are of working age (around 19% of the working population) Source: Disabled Living Foundation (2014)

Issues with the Statistics  These statistics can grow or reduce depending on how broad our definition of disability is.  For example, dyslexia affects between 4–10% of the UK population, but it is contested as to the extent to whether or not these sort of learning difficulties should feature in disability statistics.

Biomedical & Social

Discuss: Pairs  Based on your studies so far, how do you think the two models would view disability differently?  Summarise the views of your pair in one line on your whiteboard.

The Biomedical Model  Disability is a medical problem.  Disabled people are in need of care.  The level of care will depend on the degree of impairment the individual limitations it places on them person.  People are disabled because they are prevented from doing things that others take for granted.

The Biomedical Model  The model suggests that the disabled individual is a ‘problem’ to be cured/treated (or cared for, if not).

Criticisms  Does not recognise the social barriers which prevent social participation.  Because it focuses on individual rehabilitation it does not tackle the problem of discrimination... ...The biomedical model focuses on making individuals ‘better’ not ensuring society treats them better.

In Pairs  On your whiteboards, identify three ways in which the nature of our society might create problems for disabled individuals.

The Social Model  Disability is not created through impairment – it is created by society.

The Social Model “It is the inability of the social environment to cater for people with disabilities rather than the impairment itself that creates disability.” - Mike Oliver (1990)  For example, disabled people can have difficulty using public transport: Not because of their disability, but because public transport is not designed for their use.

The Social Model Think about: If you lived in a world where everyone else except you could fly, you would be considered disabled...Not because anything is ‘wrong’ with you, but because of the nature of that society.

The Social Model  The social model argues that people with impairments are disabled by society, by the way society’s institutions operate and by the attitudes and beliefs non-disabled people hold about disabled people. (Davies; 1994)

Activity  Study the handout and answer the questions provided.

Stigma & Disability  ‘Stigma’ means when people with certain characteristics are regarded as inferior or deviant by many members of ‘normal’ society.  The stigma associated with being different may restrict opportunities for disabled people.

Criticisms of the social model  It fails to acknowledge that impairment can restrict social participation. For example, someone with profound mental impairments may not be able to partake in many social activities, regardless of how they are defined.

Written Activity Identify and explain two models of disability [17]

Peer Assess Exchange your work with a partner and peer-assess using the mark-scheme provided. Work out the mark as a percentage and award them a grade – with a couple of lines feedback.

Learning Objectives  Define the concept of disability.  Outline and evaluate approaches to disability by two sociological models: 1. The biomedical model 2. The social model