Disability as a Social Construction (AQA A-Level Sociology): Revision Notes
Disability as a Social Construction
Introduction to social construction
When examining disability, it is essential to focus on its social construction rather than simply the physical or mental characteristics of individuals with disabilities. This approach recognises that disability is not just a personal medical issue, but something created and shaped by society's attitudes, structures, and responses.
The social construction perspective argues that society actively creates disability through its failure to accommodate people with impairments, rather than disability being an inevitable consequence of physical or mental differences.
The social construction approach shifts the focus from individual 'deficits' to societal barriers and attitudes. This fundamental shift in perspective has profound implications for how we understand and address disability in society.
WHO definition and framework
The World Health Organisation provides a comprehensive definition that supports the social construction approach:
WHO Definition of Disability
"Disability is a complex phenomenon, reflecting an interaction between features of a person's body and features of the society in which he or she lives."
This definition challenges traditional views that centre disability purely on physical or mental impairments. Instead, it suggests that these impairments become disabilities through society's discriminatory treatment and lack of appropriate accommodations.
The social model of disability
Core principles
The social model of disability makes a vital distinction between impairment and disability:
Key Distinction: Impairment vs Disability
- Impairment: The biological or physical condition (e.g., inability to walk)
- Disability: The social barriers and discrimination that prevent full participation (e.g., inability to enter buildings due to stairs)
This distinction is fundamental to understanding how society creates disability through its responses to impairment.
Roddy Slorach (2012) emphasises that the WHO definition still maintains this important distinction established by the disability movement. Society effectively disables people by not making reasonable adjustments to accommodate their needs.
Key theorists and perspectives
Michael Oliver (1986) was one of the strongest advocates for the social model of disability. He argued that disabled people were encouraged to view their situation as unfortunate and undesirable, contributing to the stigma frequently associated with disability.
Tom Shakespeare adopts a postmodernist view and describes how people with disabilities have been subject to othering throughout history - a process that treats them as fundamentally different from the 'normal' population.
Historical context
The sociology of disability has roots in Talcott Parsons' (1951) sick role model. Historically, disability was often equated with illness and disease, leading to disabled people being relieved of normal expectations and responsibilities.
Slorach (2012) argues that this medical approach persists in contemporary social policy. The Coalition government's 2010 policy of subjecting 2 million people to medical tests through the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) demonstrates that viewing disability as equivalent to work-shy malingering continues in the twenty-first century.
Contemporary applications
Practical examples
Society remains responsible for disabling people with impairments through inadequate provision.
Worked Example: How Society Creates Disability
A visually impaired person becomes disabled when society fails to provide:
- Electronic doors
- Talking lifts in public buildings
- Tactile pavements
These examples illustrate how social barriers create disability rather than the impairment itself. The person's visual impairment remains constant, but the level of disability varies depending on society's accommodations.
Media representation
Contemporary media often portrays people with disabilities in limited ways - either as unusually brave or tragic. This narrow representation reinforces social construction by suggesting that disabled people's only needs are basic care ("to be washed and fed") rather than full participation in society.
The media frequently infantilises disabled people, treating them as children rather than adults with full human rights, including sexual autonomy and intimate relationships.
Theoretical criticisms and limitations
Critical Limitations of the Social Model
Shakespeare and Watson (2002) provided important cautionary perspectives about the social model. They argued that its success could become its main weakness, potentially developing into an ideology that cannot easily be challenged - effectively becoming a 'sacred cow'.
While society clearly does 'disable' people with impairments, Shakespeare and Watson noted that impairments cannot simply be ignored, as physical pain and symptoms remain part of everyday life for many people with disabilities.
Marxist perspective
From a Marxist viewpoint, disability represents the neglect and marginalisation of a group considered surplus to the requirements of a profit-based society. This perspective demonstrates how capitalism routinely generates impairment and then scapegoats and discriminates against those affected.
This analysis locates disability within broader structures of inequality and economic exploitation.
Social exclusion and barriers
Intimate relationships
Society continues to create barriers around disabled people's sexuality and relationships. Many people hold narrow assumptions that disabled people don't have sexual needs or desires. This social construction denies disabled people their full human rights by:
- Assuming they are 'safely tucked up in bed alone'
- Creating transport and access barriers that prevent socialising
- Perpetuating poverty that limits social opportunities
Practical barriers
Multiple social factors combine to exclude disabled people from full participation:
- Inadequate accessible transport
- Inaccessible venues and buildings
- Economic disadvantage
- Social attitudes and prejudices
These barriers work together to create a complex web of social exclusion that goes far beyond any individual impairment. The interaction of multiple barriers demonstrates the comprehensive nature of social construction in creating disability.
Fluidity of disability categories
The concept of disability is fluid - categories included under this term vary across time and between cultures. The twentieth century saw significant expansion of people classified as disabled, including those with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia.
This historical variability demonstrates the social construction process, showing how definitions of disability reflect social and cultural values rather than fixed biological categories.
Key Points to Remember:
- Impairment refers to biological conditions; disability refers to social barriers and discrimination
- The WHO definition emphasises interaction between individual characteristics and societal features
- The social model locates the problem in society's failure to accommodate, not in individual limitations
- Historical perspectives show how attitudes towards disability have changed, reflecting social construction
- Contemporary examples demonstrate ongoing social barriers in accessibility, media representation, and personal relationships
- Critical evaluation shows the social model has limitations but remains a powerful analytical tool
- Disability categories are fluid - they change across time and cultures, proving their social construction