Understand what disability means

This section offers an insight into models of disability and the language of disability.

Disability is diverse, and everyone has unique experiences.

People’s experiences of their disability are intersectional. That is, they are influenced by other aspects of their identity and demography, such as age, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, religion, location, living arrangements, and marital status.

Models of disability

There are different ways of thinking about disability. The models of disability presented here are not representative of all the models. These guidelines use the social model of disability.

Human rights model of disability

The human rights model of disability describes disability as a natural part of human diversity and prioritises freedom and dignity as fundamental for all people. It acknowledges that human rights do not rely on the absence of impairments. Once barriers are addressed, people with disability have a right to the support they require to enable their equitable access.

Medical model of disability

The medical model of disability describes disability as a health condition, dealt with by medical professionals. Under the medical model, disability is an abnormal state of being, and a person with disability needs to be fixed or cured to achieve a ‘normal state of being’. The medical model focuses on a person’s impairment.

Social model of disability

The social model of disability describes disability as a state caused by a mismatch between a person and the barriers that exist in their environment that put them at a disadvantage. These include attitudinal, communication, physical, and social barriers. This model does not deny the lived experience of the person, but frames the barriers the person experiences, not their impairment/s, as the issue that needs to be overcome.

Relevant pages

Models of disability (People with Disability Australia)

Shifting models of thinking (Disability Advocacy Resource Unit)

Language of disability

The language people use to refer to disability is personal. We acknowledge and respect the rights of people in choosing how they refer to their lived experience of disability. We encourage everyone to be guided by the preferred terms of each individual you’re engaging with.

There are ongoing conversations about how we talk about disability. This is important. While we have used person-first language throughout these guidelines, we do not wish to exclude anyone who prefers a different style. We will update the language used in these guidelines according to best practice.

Person-first language

Person-first language is used to put the focus on the individual, not their disability. It aims to recognise an individual as a person before describing their disability. Person-first language is predominantly used to refer to people with disability, unless the individual or group described prefers otherwise.

Examples include:

people with disability

women with disability

participants with disability.

Identity-first language

Identify-first language is used to frame a person’s disability as part of their identity. It aims to emphasise disability as a neutral identifier, and signal membership of a wider cultural group. Some individuals and communities, such as the Autistic and Deaf communities, prefer identity-first language.