Inequality and Disability (AQA A-Level Sociology): Revision Notes
Inequality and Disability
Despite legal protections, people with disabilities continue to face discrimination across multiple areas of life in the UK. This inequality manifests in employment, education, leisure activities, and healthcare access, creating barriers that limit opportunities and life chances for disabled individuals.
This persistent inequality affects approximately 14.6 million disabled people in the UK, demonstrating that legal frameworks alone cannot eliminate deeply embedded social and structural discrimination.
Employment and work opportunities
Disability discrimination remains a persistent issue in the workplace, despite legal protections. The Equality Act (2010) made it illegal to discriminate against disabled people, yet inequalities persist in practice.
Disabled people experience higher unemployment rates compared to able-bodied individuals. When they do find employment, disabled workers are more likely to be in low-paid positions than the general population. This employment disadvantage stems from several factors:
- Physical barriers that prevent disabled people from performing certain jobs or accessing workplaces
- Limited work opportunities - some individuals may only be able to work part-time or require frequent sick leave
- Employer discrimination - insufficient efforts by employers to provide reasonable adjustments or create accessible work environments
These employment challenges contribute to higher poverty rates among disabled people, with many relying on state benefits for financial support. This creates a cycle of disadvantage that can persist across generations.
Educational inequality
The education system presents numerous barriers for disabled students, creating attainment gaps that persist into adulthood.
School placement and support
Historically, disabled children attended special schools rather than mainstream education, where opportunities and facilities were often limited. Today, many disabled students attend mainstream schools, but they frequently cannot access adequate support to reach their full potential.
The shift from segregated special education to inclusive mainstream schooling represents significant progress, yet the lack of adequate resources and support in mainstream settings often leaves disabled students disadvantaged.
Educational outcomes
Attainment levels among disabled people remain lower than those of non-disabled individuals. For example, disabled people are only half as likely to obtain a university degree compared to their non-disabled peers. This educational disadvantage has long-term consequences for career prospects and social mobility.
Leisure and social participation
Disabled people face practical difficulties accessing cultural and leisure activities. Common barriers include:
- Inadequate accessibility features such as wheelchair ramps or clear signage for visually impaired individuals
- Social stereotyping and prejudices about disabled people's abilities, leading to exclusion from clubs and activities
- Social exclusion from peer groups, particularly affecting children and teenagers who miss opportunities to socialise without adult supervision
Healthcare discrimination
The healthcare system presents additional challenges for disabled people through both physical and attitudinal barriers.
Physical accessibility issues include lack of ramps in medical facilities and inadequate communication support for patients with hearing difficulties. More concerning is diagnostic overshadowing, where medical professionals incorrectly attribute symptoms to a person's existing disability rather than investigating potential new health issues.
Research by MENCAP (2004) revealed that adults with learning disabilities experienced discrimination from healthcare professionals, highlighting systemic prejudices within medical care.
Life expectancy among people with learning disabilities is lower than the general population, partly reflecting these healthcare inequalities.
Theoretical perspectives on disability
The biomedical model
Traditionally, the biomedical model has shaped societal attitudes towards disability. This approach focuses on the physical impairment and attempts to 'fix' the individual's condition through medical intervention.
Understanding the Biomedical Model:
A person using a wheelchair cannot enter a building due to steps at the entrance.
Biomedical approach: Focus on the person's inability to walk and seek medical solutions to improve mobility.
Limitation: This ignores the simple architectural solution of installing a ramp.
The social model of disability
Contemporary sociologists, including Oliver (1990) and Shakespeare (1994), advocate for understanding disability as a social construct. This perspective argues that disability discrimination results less from actual impairments and more from disabling social and environmental factors.
These factors include:
- Social attitudes and stereotypes about disability
- Lack of access to buildings, transport, and services
- Absence of rights and legal protections
- Environmental barriers that exclude disabled people from full participation
Understanding the Social Model:
Using the same wheelchair example:
Social model approach: The problem is not the person's mobility impairment, but the building's inaccessible design with steps instead of a ramp.
Solution: Change the environment (install ramps) rather than trying to change the person.
The social model emphasises that society needs to change to accommodate disabled people, rather than expecting individuals to adapt to existing structures. This approach has influenced social policy development, most notably the Disability Discrimination Act (1995), which established equal access as a legal requirement for employers, shops, schools, and transport providers.
Policy responses
Legislative changes reflect growing recognition of disability rights:
- Disability Discrimination Act (1995) - established legal requirements for equal access across public and private sectors
- Equality Act (2010) - consolidated anti-discrimination law, making disability discrimination illegal across multiple areas of life
However, the persistence of inequality suggests that legal frameworks alone are insufficient to eliminate discrimination without broader social and cultural change. Attitudes, physical environments, and institutional practices must all evolve to create genuine equality.
Key Points to Remember:
- Disabled people face discrimination in employment, education, leisure, and healthcare despite legal protections under the Equality Act (2010)
- The social model of disability emphasises that barriers are created by society rather than individual impairments, contrasting with the traditional biomedical model
- Key sociologists Oliver and Shakespeare argue that disability is a social construct shaped by environmental and social factors
- Employment inequality leads to higher poverty rates and benefit dependency among disabled people
- Educational attainment gaps persist, with disabled people half as likely to achieve university degrees as non-disabled peers