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The social model of disability has people very confused and others deliberately misinterpret it to negate the needs of disabled people. I want to clear a few things up for those who say the social model eliminates the medical model. (Thread)
I need glasses. I need them to drive or see any distance. My friend’s son has needed glasses since he was eight months old. Is this a genuine medical issue? Yes. Is it a disability? Not any more.
Once upon a time, even mild vision impairment was disabling. To an aging seamstress whose eyes strain to sew in candlelight, cataracts would have made her unable to work. For a child who, at 8 months, would not have been able to even crawl safely, it would be disabling.
But in Canada we have good optometrists, and glasses are expensive but within reach of most Canadians. Ophthalmologists such as my friend’s son needs are covered by provincial health care.
Cataract surgery is also covered. Cataracts used to be blinding. To my mother in law, they were a day surgery.
Severe eye defects such as my friend’s son has use to be blinding. But thanks to thick bifocals, an eye patch, and other interventions, my friend’s son can see fine.
Severe eye defects such as my friend’s son has use to be blinding. But thanks to thick bifocals, an eye patch, and other interventions, my friend’s son can see fine.
These are genuine medical issues tha in another day and age would have severely hampered the quality of life of many people. There are other forms of vision impairment that we have not managed to cure or compensate for yet. But someday we might. Think Geordie from Star Trek.
The social model of disability is about how accommodations in society can compensate for or remove the repercussions of a disability. Being unable to walk is a medical problem. But if you can go where you like and work where you like then it’s not very disabling.
The social model of disability can’t magically remove all disability. But it is a way of saying “how much does society contribute (or fail to contribute) to the ability of this person to live a full and happy life?” It doesn’t mean “disability is imaginary”.
So how does the social model of disability apply to autism? Well. Some disabling aspects of autism could be eliminated or fixed with the help of societal change RIGHT NOW. For example, if we could stim publicly and wear headphones etc without being considered weird or criminal.
Some aspects of autism are still beyond us. We don’t have a magic pill that will let those with severe motor planing difficulties or those with cognitive disabilities magically independent. But really... humans aren’t supposed to be independent. We are social creatures.
Humans live together. We clump. We form complex societies in which we play individual roles and work together to help each other. When a fire truck goes by everyone pulls over to let it pass. That’s what humans are like. So independence is an illusion.
We can’t wave a wand and solve apraxia or severe sensory sensitivities or other severely disabiling aspects of autism. (Yet). But we can stop shaming people for needing help. We can stop treating the need for help like some horrific tragedy. We can accommodate wherever possible.
If you think that autism isn’t medical then I don’t even know what to say to you. Denying that is also denying neurodivergence because the difference of our brains is REAL. That’s what neurodivergence IS. But don’t deny society’s role in our disability either.
My need for glasses is real and medical and potentially disabling. The fact that it ISN’T disabling is thanks to a society that gives me glasses and normalizes my need for them. I wish my need for help due to autism was as solvable or normalized.
The funny thing is we even have a CURE for my vision problems. I could go get Lasik eye surgery. But the province doesn’t even cover that because the glasses solve my problem so effectively that a “cure” is considered a luxury, a cosmetic expense. And I can’t be bothered.
I want autistic folk who want cures for their motor planning problems to be able to get them. I want autistic folk who need home care to get it without any difficulty or expense. I want autistic folk who need to wear ear defenders to do it without anyone blinking an eye.
And I want someone to be able to say “yeah, I could get my sensory sensitivities fixed but really my *insert aid here* solves that anyway and I am happy with the way I am”.
THAT’S the social model of disability. Don’t let anyone claim anything different.
THAT’S the social model of disability. Don’t let anyone claim anything different.
And no, wishing cures for things like apraxia is not like wishing for an “autism cure”. Apraxia is only one part of autism but a severely disabling part. If we could eliminate that without losing our joy of stims imagine how wonderful life could be.
