Models intro and the medical model

6 min read · BoK 1A· p. 4–5

Learning objectives (3)

Explain why no single model of disability is complete
Describe the medical model and its core assumptions
Identify at least two strengths and two limitations of the medical model

Why it matters

How you define disability shapes every decision you make as an accessibility professional — from which barriers you prioritize to how you talk with the people you serve. The CPACC BoK introduces several models, not to pick a winner, but to show that each illuminates something different and that most real organizations blend them. (BoK p. 4)

No single model is complete

The BoK opens Domain One with a frank admission: no model covers everything. Each framework reflects a particular historical moment, cultural context, or professional tradition. Knowing several models lets you recognize which one is driving a policy decision or product choice — and when a different lens would serve people better. (BoK p. 4)

The medical model

The medical model treats disability as a problem that resides within the individual — specifically, a deficiency in body structure or function caused by disease, trauma, or a genetic condition. (BoK p. 4)

The goal is diagnosis, treatment, and if possible, cure: the person should be restored to a “normal” level of function. Accommodation, when it exists, is framed as a concession to what medicine has not yet been able to fix. Responsibility for change lies with the person and the healthcare system. (BoK p. 5)

Strengths of the medical model

It drives research into treatments that genuinely improve health and reduce pain.
It provides a shared clinical vocabulary useful for documenting individual needs (for insurance claims, for example).
Some conditions — acute pain, progressive diseases — do call for medical intervention first.

Limitations of the medical model

It locates the “problem” in the person, which can obscure environmental and attitudinal barriers.
It can imply that a person’s life has less value until they are “fixed.”
It gives little guidance for designing inclusive buildings, websites, or services, since the goal is cure rather than access.
Applied in policy, it has historically been used to exclude people from employment, education, and public life on the grounds that they need treatment first. (BoK p. 5)

Real-world example

A company’s hiring policy requires that candidates with mobility impairments obtain a physician’s clearance before being considered for a role. The policy assumes the impairment is the barrier and that medical gatekeeping is the appropriate solution. An accessibility practitioner would recognize this as medical-model thinking and would instead ask: “What environmental or procedural barriers can we remove so the role is genuinely accessible?”

Key terms

Model of disability: A conceptual framework that explains what disability is, what causes it, and who bears responsibility for addressing it. (BoK p. 4)
Medical model: The view that disability is a deficit within the individual, caused by a health condition, that should be diagnosed and treated or cured. (BoK p. 4)
Impairment: A difference in body structure or function — distinct from the broader social and environmental consequences of that difference. (BoK p. 4)
Cure / remediation: The medical model's primary goal: restoring the person's body or function to a 'normal' standard. (BoK p. 5)
Individual problem: The medical model locates disability in the person rather than in society or the environment. (BoK p. 5)

Check yourself

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According to the medical model of disability, where is the primary source of the problem that disability represents?

a) In the physical and attitudinal barriers created by society
b) In the individual's body or health condition — correct answer
c) In the economic costs that impairments impose on employers
d) In the lack of assistive technology available to the person

Explanation: The medical model defines disability as a deficit within the individual — a health condition or impairment of body structure or function. The appropriate response, under this model, is medical diagnosis and treatment aimed at restoring "normal" function (BoK p. 4–5). In contrast, the social model would point to environmental and attitudinal barriers in society as the true source of disability.

A job application process requires all candidates who disclose a disability to obtain a physician's certificate confirming they are "fit to work" before their application will be reviewed. Which model of disability is most clearly reflected in this policy?

a) Social model
b) Biopsychosocial model
c) Medical model — correct answer
d) Functional solutions model

Explanation: Requiring medical certification before reviewing an application treats the person's disability as an individual problem located in their body — the defining assumption of the medical model (BoK p. 4–5). An accessibility professional recognizing this pattern would recommend shifting to a social or functional model: instead of asking "Is the person fixed?", ask "What barriers in the process can we remove?"

An accessibility practitioner argues that a company's disability policy fails because it "locates the problem in the person and offers cure as the only solution." Which fundamental limitation of the medical model is the practitioner identifying?

a) The medical model does not provide a vocabulary for documenting individual clinical needs
b) The medical model ignores environmental and attitudinal barriers, placing all responsibility for change on the individual — correct answer
c) The medical model overestimates the role of assistive technology in supporting people with disabilities
d) The medical model is too focused on social and cultural identity to guide clinical practice

Explanation: The practitioner is identifying the medical model's core limitation: it treats disability as a property of the individual (an impairment to be cured) rather than as an interaction between the person and an inaccessible environment. This framing gives little guidance for designing inclusive workplaces, products, or services, because the model's solution is always to fix the person rather than to remove barriers (BoK p. 4–5).

Sources

BoK references

Section 1A — IAAP CPACC Body of Knowledge v4.0 (Oct 2023), p. 4–5