The Medical Model of Disability

Learning disability refers to the neurological disorder. The disease affects mainly the children. However, the children with the learning disability are like others. (Koh, Gracia and Alvarez 2014) mentioned that some of children may have problem in reading, learning, writing, reasoning, organizing information, spelling and recalling. The children, who have physical disability, can suffer from the learning disability too. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the disease. There are various reasons of the learning disability such as genetics, deformative brain structure and physical issues.

However, learning disabilities can be cured by applying various models and theories like social models with intellectuality. There are various acts for the people, who have learning disability to prevent the antidiscrimination.

The focus of the assignment is to discuss the current policies, models and theoretical concepts of intellectual disability. They need to meet the cultural needs with the ethnicity. The policies may have great impact that is discussed.

Under this disability model, the inability of the disabled person to join the society is the direct result of impairment. The medical model of disability affects the thinking of the disabled persons and may make the people feel uncomfortable.

Salsgiver (2015) stated that the social model of disability could make important difference in between disability and impairment. This model mainly provides supports to the people with learning disability.

The impairment of the brain may be the reason of the learning disability that may limit the function of brain. Another reason of the learning disability can be the impairment of nervous system.

This type of impairment can make the person disable to take part in the social environment. The society creates barriers for the people with learning disability. Therefore, the barriers need to be removed.

The main barriers for the learning-disabled persons are inadequate funding, accommodation process, physical inaccessibility, lack of individualization, negative attitudes and stereotype and ineffective dispute resolution mechanism.

In case of the anti discrimination and anti oppressive practice, the social workers play significant role. These are the primary tools to prevent the discrimination with the people with learning disability. The social workers try to diminish the discrimination that makes the people with learning disability uncomfortable. In such circumference, the government made two policies that can help to reduce the discrimination such as the equality act (2010) and disability discrimination act (1995). However, both the acts are similar. According to the equality act (2010), the people with learning disability have the right to get equal rights like other people. The main purpose of the act is to reduce the biasness and improve the life of the learning-disabled persons. Thompson (2016) mentioned that government should monitor the act after the implementation, as it is necessary. On the other hand, disability discrimination act (1995) states about the human rights and dignity with the ethnicity.  This act mainly helps to improve the learning ability of the disabled persons.

People mainly the student with the learning disability mainly need motivation not the label of the disability.             However, there is a debate about the positive and negative effects of the disabled labeling. The positive effects of the labeling is that teacher can give extra effort for them and able to make IEP (individualized education plan) (Hickson et al. 2015). This will help the students to follow the instruction of the teacher and improve the learning power. Another positive effect of the labeling is the extra learning support. When the student is identified with the learning disability, he may need extra learning care. Therefore, it is necessary to provide them the extra support. In such circumstance, the teacher will not provide in normal way. She needs to provide instructions in innovative way so that the students can understand the commands easily. The negative effects of the labeling the students ‘disabled’ can reduce their self-effectiveness and may lower their expectations (Wagemans et al. 2017). Therefore, the student may face various issues that need to be reduced.

The Social Model of Disability

People with the intellectual disability mainly comes faces the culturally and linguistically diversity as well as discrimination for entire life. Most of the time, the community does not support them due to their disability. The people with the intellectual disability may have the communication and language problems, which shows significant obstacles to gain access to the services (Sholl, Reid and Udwin 2014). They miss the psychiatric and generic support. The people with the learning disability are unaware of service range and supports. They have lack of knowledge and experience the extreme isolation. Moreover, these people can face the financial vulnerability and get fewer opportunities. The ethnic community overlooks the target group of people who have the intellectual disability. There are insufficient strategies that can ensure people with the intellectual disability about the help. In such circumstances, Sewell (2016) opined that the people with the intellectual disability need the family support, which they do not get. The family members need to provide mental and physical supports to the people and contact with a counselor for better outcomes.

In case of people with intellectual disability, the class and gender play significant role.  As they are disabled, they face various problems. The girls may be more vulnerable in comparison to the boys as they face more issues regarding disability. However, people try to avoid or molest the girls with the intellectual disability. However, these people need to be included in the social participations rather than exclusion as this can motivate them to develop their situation. The gender inequality as well as needs to be diminished so that they do not face any problem. Proper regulation, policies and documentation is necessary to avoid the discrimination and avoid the girl molestation. The family members need to be more conscious about this matter and protect their children from others. Moreover, the society needs to support these people rather than avoiding them as well as performing discriminatory practices. In addition to, the gender related issues need to be reduced to develop the society and condition fo the people with the intellectual disability.

To develop the condition, the government has made various changes in the policies to develop them. Hence, the developed policies and agendas have positive impact on those people. The first motto of these policies and agendas is the empowerment of the people with learning disability. The family members and the persons can take the help of the human right law, mental health act, and care act to overcome the problems and empowering own self. Moreover, the people need the home care as well as the health care system. However, the acts can empower the disabled people by providing them opportunities to make their own decisions and gain back the self-efficacy and self-respect. The developed policies and agendas help people to motivate so that they can gain more knowledge and overcome the disabilities. Willems et al. (2014) mentioned that the people with the intellectual disabilities can take the help of those acts to avoid the discrimination and live a healthy and wellbeing life.  

Impairment

Moncrieffe and Eyben (2013) mentioned that all people has the rights to get equal rights and citizenship. Therefore, the people with the intellectual disability should not be avoided. People should learn about that how to behave with people who are suffering from intellectual disability. On the other hand, Einarsson et al. (2015) opined that the government needs to make stronger policies and acts so that people cannot misbehave with the people with the intellectual disability and show them dignity and respect. The equal rights and citizenship can motivate the people with the intellectual disability so that they can gain more knowledge and overcome their disabilities. In such state, the person centered approaches can help the people with the intellectual disability so that they gain back their self-respect and self-confidence to be the part of the society. Robertson et al. (2014) mentioned that to develop the ability of the people with the intellectual disability, the individuals and communities need to work jointly that can empower the people with the intellectual disability.

The welfare services can help the people with the intellectual disability and provide them various benefits. The welfare services help the people with the intellectual disability by providing the home, food and bill payment. Moreover, the welfare services provide social security to the individuals as well as the family members to meet the costs of the treatment. Green (2015) opined that the cost of the medical treatment is very high and it can make the family members poor. In such condition, the welfare services help them by providing the financial support. The family members of the people with the intellectual disability gets support from the welfare services. This improves the quality of life of the people with disability and their family members. It is helpful for the people with the intellectual disability as they get the physical and mental support from the welfare service communities, which helps to improve their abilities and reduced the problems.  

For the people with the intellectual disability, abuse and the exploitation is harmful. People more frequently abuse the disabled person rather than the able persons. The people with the intellectual disability cannot access the justice system due to their problems. Longer period of abuse affects the people with the intellectual disability and leads to the worst condition. In such condition, the person may suffer from depression and tend to commit suicide. Sometimes the family members neglect such persons as well as the caregivers. Therefore, this type of practices needs to be reduced. The government should be aware about the matter and make strict rules to reduce such practices. The caregiver and the family members need training and counseling so that they do not misbehave with the people with the intellectual disability and support them in their work for the motivational purpose. The social care workers can help in such condition and they can reduce the abuse and help the people with the intellectual disability to improve their lifestyle.

The people with the intellectual disability do not have proper human and civil rights as well as they are avoided and abused by people. However, from the previous time, the situation is developed due to the government policies and regulation. The government has made various changes in the governmental legislations like Equality act (2010) in present days help the people with the intellectual disability by providing budget, civil rights, homes, health care services, education, support, employment, medical care and social support (Huber et al. 2017). However, in the past decades the Equality Act (2010) provided only the money support and health and social care services to the people with the learning disability. The people with the intellectual disability need proper education and proper caring. The governmental legislation helps them in such condition. The government policies help the family members so that they can provide proper support to the people with the intellectual disability (Salsgiver 2015). The people with the intellectual disability need to be treated with dignity and respect.

Disability

Based on the above discussion, it can be said that there are various reasons of the learning disability such as genetics, deformative brain structure and physical issues. The medical model of disability affects the thinking of the disabled persons and may make the people feel uncomfortable. The impairment of the brain may be the reason of the learning disability that may limit the function of brain. In case of the anti discrimination and anti oppressive practice, the social workers play significant role. The act mainly helps to improve the learning ability of the disabled persons. She needs to provide instructions in innovative way so that the students can understand the commands easily. The people with the intellectual disability may have the communication and language problems, which shows significant obstacles to gain access to the services. The family members need to provide mental and physical supports to the people and contact with a counselor for better outcomes. The society needs to support these people rather than avoiding them as well as performing discriminatory practices. The government policies help the family members so that they can provide proper support to the people with the intellectual disability. The equal rights and citizenship motivate the people with the intellectual disability so that they can gain more knowledge and overcome their disabilities.

References

Einarsson, I.O., Ólafsson, Á., Hinriksdóttir, G., Jóhannsson, E., Daly, D. and Arngrímsson, S.A., 2015. Differences in physical activity among youth with and without intellectual disability. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 47(2), pp.411-418.

Green, C., 2015. Equal Citizenship, Civil Rights, and the Constitution: The Original Sense of the Privileges Or Immunities Clause. Routledge.

Hickson, L., Khemka, I., Golden, H. and Chatzistyli, A., 2015. Randomized controlled trial to evaluate an abuse prevention curriculum for women and men with intellectual and developmental disabilities. American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities, 120(6), pp.490-503.

Huber, J.M., Schneider, H., Pfister, V. and Steiner, B., 2017. Use and Development of New Technologies in Public Welfare Services: A User-Centred Approach Using Step by Step Communication for Problem Solving. In Safe at Home with Assistive Technology (pp. 109-135). Springer International Publishing.

Koh, H.K., Gracia, J.N. and Alvarez, M.E., 2014. Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services–advancing health with CLAS. The New England journal of medicine, 371(3), p.198.

Moncrieffe, J. and Eyben, R., 2013. The power of labelling: How people are categorized and why it matters. Earthscan.

Robertson, A.M., Garfein, R.S., Wagner, K.D., Mehta, S.R., Magis-Rodriguez, C., Cuevas-Mota, J., Moreno-Zuniga, P.G. and Strathdee, S.A., 2014. Evaluating the impact of Mexico’s drug policy reforms on people who inject drugs in Tijuana, BC, Mexico, and San Diego, CA, United States: a binational mixed methods research agenda. Harm reduction journal, 11(1), p.4.

Salsgiver, R., 2015. Disability: A diversity model approach in human service practice. Oxford University Press.

Salsgiver, R., 2015. Disability: A diversity model approach in human service practice. Oxford University Press.

Sewell, A., 2016. A theoretical application of epistemological oppression to the psychological assessment of special educational needs; concerns and practical implications for anti-oppressive practice. Educational Psychology in Practice, 32(1), pp.1-12.

Sholl, C., Reid, C. and Udwin, O., 2014. Preventing residential care for young people with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviours: the development of the Ealing Intensive Therapeutic and Short Breaks Service. In M. Lovell and O. Udwin eds.,, Intellectual Disabilities and Challenging Behaviour. ACAMH Occasional Paper 32 (pp. 15-25). London: Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Thompson, N., 2016. Anti-discriminatory practice: Equality, diversity and social justice. Palgrave Macmillan.

Wagemans, A.M.A., Schrojenstein Lantman?de Valk, H.M.J., Proot, I.M., Bressers, A.M., Metsemakers, J., Tuffrey?Wijne, I., Groot, M. and Curfs, L.M.G., 2017. Do?Not?Attempt?Resuscitation orders for people with intellectual disabilities: dilemmas and uncertainties for ID physicians and trainees. The importance of the deliberation process. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 61(3), pp.245-254.

Willems, A.A., van Hout, D.H., Zijlstra, N. and Zandstra, E.H., 2014. Effects of salt labelling and repeated in-home consumption on long-term liking of reduced-salt soups. Public Health Nutr, 17(5), pp.1130-7.