Identity Model of Disability

A model of disability in which individuals claim disability as a positive aspect of their identity, similar to how other marginalized groups have reclaimed their identities. Unlike the medical model (which views disability as a deficiency to be fixed) or the social model (which locates disability in societal barriers), the identity model centers personal identification and community belonging. This model complicates research recruitment because eligibility criteria based on clinical diagnosis may not align with how participants understand their own disability, and self-identification may not match researcher-defined categories.