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Last month I found myself sitting in a coffee shop, watching a young woman navigate the narrow space between tables with her wheelchair. The barista immediately came around the counter to move chairs out of her way. It got me thinking about how disability is not just a physical condition but a social experience shaped by our environment, attitudes, and systems. Uncover the difference between social and medical models and how intersectionality impacts disability experiences
The Social Model vs. Medical Model: Why It Matters
For the longest time, I had always thought of disability as something that needed to be fixed or cured. That is what most of us are taught, right? This perspective, known as the medical model of disability, places the problem squarely on the individual with the disability.
But studying sociology of disability opened my eyes to something completely different. The social model argues that people are disabled not by their conditions but by a society that fails to accommodate different ways of being. Take my friend Mark who is deaf he does not consider himself disabled when communicating with people who know sign language. His disability only becomes apparent in environments where communication methods exclude him.
I am not saying medical interventions are not important. Of course they are. But viewing disability through a purely medical lens misses how social structures create barriers that exclude people with different abilities from full participation in society.
How Our Spaces Reflect Our Values
Walking through my university campus last week, I counted three buildings without ramp access. THREE. In 2025! This is not an oversight it reflects deep societal assumptions about who belongs in these spaces.
Architectural barriers demonstrate how disability is socially constructed. We design spaces for the average body, then label those who cannot navigate these spaces as disabled. But who decided that stairs were the default and ramps the accommodation? Why not the other way around?
The sociology of disability challenges us to question these normalized standards. When we build environments that only work for certain bodies, we actively create disability rather than simply responding to it.
The Language We Use Creates Reality
Have you ever noticed how we talk about disability? Suffering from, afflicted with, confined to a wheelchair. Our language often frames disability as tragedy, with disabled individuals portrayed as either victims or inspirational heroes who overcome their conditions.
I cringe when I remember how I once complimented a colleague by saying she was so brave for simply living her life with multiple sclerosis. She politely educated me that she was not brave she was just living her life like anyone else would in her situation.
The sociology of disability examines how these narratives shape our understanding. Disability studies scholars point out that such language reinforces the idea that disability is inherently negative, something to be eliminated rather than a natural part of human diversity.
Intersectionality Cannot Be Ignored
My understanding of disability deepened when I realized how it intersects with other social identities. A Black disabled woman faces different barriers than a white disabled man. Economic class determines access to resources that might mitigate disabling environments.
Last semester I interviewed several disabled students for a research project. Those from wealthy backgrounds often had access to assistive technologies, private transportation, and healthcare that made navigating campus much easier. Others struggled not just with accessibility but with basic needs like affordable housing near accessible public transportation.
The sociology of disability teaches us that we cannot understand disability without considering these intersections of race, class, gender, and other social categories that shape individual experiences.
Moving Forward: What Can We Do?
Sometimes the scope of change needed feels overwhelming. How do we transform deeply embedded social structures and attitudes? But I have seen firsthand that small shifts matter.
After noticing the inaccessible buildings on campus, our student group started documenting barriers and presenting them to administration. We did not just complain we proposed solutions. The university has since committed to an accessibility audit of all buildings.
Understanding the sociology of disability gives us tools to recognize how we all participate in constructing disability through our attitudes, language, and design choices. It also empowers us to make different choices.
I do not claim to have all the answers. I am still learning, still catching myself in ableist assumptions. But that is the point disability justice requires ongoing reflection and action from all of us.
Reference
Barnes, C., & Mercer, G. (2022). Exploring disability: A sociological introduction (4th ed.). Polity Press.
Goodley, D. (2021). Disability studies: An interdisciplinary introduction (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
U.S. Department of Justice. (2024). A guide to disability rights laws. Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section. https://www.ada.gov/resources/disability-rights-guide/