When disability policy was developed, disability was
viewed in the medical model. The understanding
was that the person had a medical problem that was in need of fixing and that,
until that medical problem could be fixed, that person was unable to work. If the medical problem could not be fixed,
the person would be considered totally and permanently disabled.
We put physicians and other medical providers in charge
of whether or not a person could work, whether or not a person receives various
disability benefits and what services and accommodations a person with a
disability needs.
While we are inundating medical providers with paperwork
to attest to these things, no one seems to take into consideration that they
are not the ones with all the answers.
While most disabilities have a physiological beginning,
that doesn’t necessarily mean they need or will respond to medical
interventions. For example, if a person
is in an accident and incurs a brain injury, the disability can be
permanent. However, the time for
effective medical therapy is only for a short period after the injury. If the person still has the disability after
20 years, what do we expect a physician to do?
Some disabilities are the result of medical conditions
that need ongoing treatment, but many do not need medical intervention. Yet, we put them all in the same category and
require that there be medical documentation of all kinds of things related to
disability.
In the meantime, since most medical providers have the
same view of disability as the average population, they are responding with the
viewpoint that they are supposed to be able to decide major life issues for
these people. Should the person
work? What are the person’s
transportation needs? Does a person need
a roll-in shower? What about a parking
pass? Should the person be in a nursing
home? If so, can we keep the person out
with appropriate services? What
services? (Read the last three again to
note the irony.)
Removing disability issues from the medical establishment
could benefit persons with disabilities, ease the burden on medical providers
and reduce costs for society. Since the
medical model is now recognized as not appropriate for determining disability,
let’s next consider what the basis for disability needs to be.
Annette Bourbonniere
401-846-1960
Fax: 401-846-1944
Twitter:
@AccessInclude
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