Hi Emma

Whilst Andy is right you can't 'implement' the social model you can have 
the social model as your rationale and that is what I think the HEIs are 
claiming. Although in practise it is a combination of both social and 
medical i.e. a recognition that society creates barriers whilst focusing on 
the individual's access requirements and linked into medical and DSA 
assessments.

If you maintain the dualism then you are right there can often be a 
conflict between the two, but you have bogged yourself down in dualistic 
thinking the either/or approach rather than the and/both rhizomatic 
approach that you find in Deleuze and Guattari (for example in 'A Thousand 
Plateaus'). If you take a hybrid approach and look at the spaces in-between 
the medical and social model it will correspond more to reality. Having 
said that, the social model was required to counter the medical model as 
you need an opposition in order to create the in-betweenness. Also there 
has been a lot of debate about the removal of the body within the social 
model - where the focus on society (again dualistic thinking) removes the 
individual, which doesn't make sense when it is the individual that 
experiences the societal barriers. For a starting point for reading more 
about this debate you can get Shakespeare and Watson (2002) The social 
model of disability an outdated ideology? Journal of Research Social 
Science and Disability vol 2 p. 9-28 online from the Leeds disability 
archive.

And no it wouldn't be practical to have everything in alternative fonts, 
but it is practical, and this is what campaigning and the development of 
the social model achieves, to be able to request an alternative font and to 
be given it.

Best wishes


Ember




--On 19 February 2009 16:47 +0000 Emma Rowlett <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> I'm battling with my PhD thesis and have had a very confusing meeting
> with my supervisors. We disagree substantially about whether or not it
> is best to use the social model or medical models of disability and
> they don't seem very happy with my interpretation of models of
> disability in Higher Education (see below). If any of you can assist
> me in developing my musings it would be very much appreciated.
>
> As I see it, SENDA is based on the DDA 1995 definition of disability
> as "a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and
> long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day
> activities" (DDA 1995, s1(1)). Since it refers to the impairment
> having an adverse effect and not to society imposing barriers on a
> person with impairments this does not adhere to the social model of
> disability and seems more medical model.  Similarly, since medical
> evidence is needed for DSA applications and medical professionals are
> often asked to comment on the impact on the student's studies this
> seems to be adopting a medical model of disability.  HEFCE mainstream
> allocation funding is also based on DSA the number of successful
> applications so relies on the medical model too.  However, most
> universities claim in their Disability Equality Statements that they
> adhere to the Social Model. But if universities are trying to
> implement the social model within a framework of medical model lead
> funding and legislation does this not cause conflicts?  Does this make
> sense?
>
> One of my supervisors argues that just because medical professionals
> are involved they may not be using the medical model. But it seems to
> me that requiring their involvement and proof of disability is medical
> model - perhaps I'm wrong in this.  My own personal experience seems
> to back this up too - the medical professionals I have dealt with are
> very clinical (as you might expect) and have no idea what impact my
> visual impairment or any of my other disabilities have on my studies
> beyond saying I will have difficulty reading standard size text.  If
> the social model was being implemented the professional required would
> be one who can identify the barriers rather than just identifying the
> impairment - an this would be a disability tutor or similar.  I know
> that once the proof is obtained an assessment is made that fits the
> social model better, but it focuses on individual rather than general
> adjustments which leads to my next problem...
>
> I have my own difficulties with the social model as by blaming society
> it seems to imply that society can make general adjustments to meet
> the needs of all people. However, if you apply this to a person with a
> visual impairment who experiences standard size text as a barrier how
> do you overcome this?  You can't produce every size of text, Braille,
> audio etc for every piece of standard size text.  The answer seems to
> me to make an accessible electronic copy available generally to all
> and then make an individual adjustment to create the exact format the
> person requires. However, doesn't the need to make individual
> adjustments focus on the individual impairment rather than the general
> barrier?  Or is the social model flexible enough to allow for both
> general and individual adjustments?
>
> As you can probably tell I'm quite confused about all this so if you
> have any suggestions or advice, or can point me in the direction of
> using reading, I will be very grateful,
>
> Thanks,
>
> Emma
>
> --
> Emma Jane Rowlett (née Wright)
> School of Sociology and Social Policy
> University of Nottingham
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
> www.accessingmaterials.org.uk



----------------------
Dr Ember Kelly
Communication & Support Services Coordinator
Access Unit for Deaf and Disabled Students
University of Bristol, 4th Floor, Union Building
Queens Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1LN
Minicom: 0117 9545731 (text only)
Mobile: 07717 360868 (SMS text only)  Fax: 0117 923 8546
E-mail: [log in to unmask]