Social Model of Disability

A framework that locates disability not in an individual's body or mind but in the barriers created by society — including physical environments, attitudes, policies, and systems that exclude people with impairments from full participation. Developed in contrast to the medical model, which focuses on diagnosing and treating individual deficits, the social model reframes disability as a product of inaccessible design and discriminatory structures. This perspective has been foundational to the disability rights movement and underpins accessibility standards like WCAG and legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act.