Definition
The social model of disability says that disability is something people experience, and that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment. Disabling barriers include people’s attitudes (e.g. thinking disabled people can’t do certain things, like work, live on their own, have sex or have children), the physical environment (e.g. steps, narrow doorways), and information and communication (e.g. information not available in accessible formats). Removing these barriers creates equality and means that disabled people have more independence, choice, and control.
Other models include the medical model, charity model and human rights model.