Social model: a new approach of the disability theme

The experience of disability is part of the daily lives of people who have a disease, lesion or corporal limitation. Disability is still understood as personal bad luck; moreover, from the social and political points of view, the disabled are seen as a minority. The aim of this study is to contribute to the knowledge about the experience of disability. The research presents a new approach on the theme: the social model. This approach appeared as an alternative to the medical model of disability, which sees the lesion as the primary cause of social inequality and of the disadvantages experienced by the disabled, ignoring the role of social structures in their oppression and marginalization. The study permits reflecting on how the difficulties and barriers society imposed on people considered different make disability a reality and portray social injustice and the vulnerability situation lived by excluded groups.