Political/Relational Model of Disability

A model of disability described by Alison Kafer that situates disability within sociopolitical systems, emphasizing how structures of power and interactions between people construct the experience of disability. Unlike the social model's focus on environmental barriers or the medical model's focus on individual deficits, the political/relational model examines how disability is shaped by political contexts, social relationships, and intersecting identities. It highlights that disabled people's multifaceted identities and access to resources fundamentally shape what access can mean to them.