Introduction The area of disability rights is a complex, delicate one that invokes much passion in its discourse. As this area attracts increased awareness, attention must be paid by Irish legislators to the models and definitions it employs of ‘disability’, and what such definitions signify. This chapter will discuss differing models of disability, the definition of ‘disability’ in Irish law, and will conclude by examining the case study of ‘invisible’ disabilities. I.
Differing Models of Disability
While significant progress has been made towards stigmas associated with disability, definition of the term remains relatively contentious. This is largely to do with the conflicting models of disability developed over the past century. State responses and provisions for persons with disability reflect to varying degrees the models of disability that have either been explicitly accepted or implicitly adopted. In exploring the unique frameworks of models of disability, this section will also assess its impact on the everyday lives of persons with disabilities. A primary purpose of implementing disability models is so that an effective structure can be devised to aid and meet the needs of persons with disabilities. These models facilitate the identification and understanding of disability in a manner intelligible to policy-makers. However, a number of these models have been constructed and dictated without the involvement of persons with disabilities, resultingly non-disabled persons have imposed definitions upon persons with disabilities. The Medical Model A prime example of this is the controversial approach of the medical model of disability, that views all disabilities ‘as the result of some physiological impairment due to damage or a disease process’.1 Historically, disabled persons have been institutionalized largely due to the approaches deemed suitable by professionals engaged in medical practice. The overarching agenda in the medical
1
A. Llewellyn and K. Hogan, ‘The Use and Abuse of Models of Disability’ (2000) 15(1) Disability & Society 157.
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