The medical model of disability views disability as something broken that needs fixing. This makes sense when someone has a broken leg — repairing that leg is a good thing to do! Many folks with chronic illness identify with this frame of reference, especially if they have a chronic illness, and medication (the ‘fix’) helps. Many other folks with disabilities identify more closely with the social model of disability. This frame of reference says that there’s nothing inherently wrong with being disabled, and you don’t need fixing. In fact, it is not the person who is disabled, but the environment that is disabling. If a wheelchair user cannot get into a building because there are steps and no ramp, it is not because there’s a problem with the wheelchair user. It’s because the built environment is the problem. (After all, if there was an appropriate ramp they would have no trouble!)
At Birdability, we operate from this lens. What is it about the environment that is disabling, and how can we address it so that it instead invites participation and inclusion? What can we do about the physical accessibility of birding locations? How can we help the social, cultural and institutional environments of birding be empowering, rather that exclusionary? We’re not in the business of ‘fixing’ a person; instead, we want to positively impact their world!