Medical Model of Disability

The medical model of disability is a framework that views disability primarily as a problem located within the individual, a biological deficit or impairment that needs to be fixed, cured, or compensated for through medical intervention or assistive technology. Under this model, the person with a disability is positioned as a patient in need of treatment, and technology solutions focus on monitoring, correcting, or managing the condition. Disability studies scholars and accessibility researchers have critiqued the medical model for reducing complex human experiences to clinical diagnoses, potentially leading to technology that is stigmatizing or that erodes identity and autonomy. Alternative frameworks include the social model (which locates disability in environmental barriers) and the biopsychosocial model (which considers biological, psychological, and social factors together).