Learning aim B: Examine how to overcome the challenges to daily living faced by people
with additional needs
P2: Explain how disability can be viewed as a social construct.
A social construct is a concept that is developed through human interaction rather than from an
objective truth. A social construction is formed through society unanimously labelling a person or a
group, due to the consistent reaffirmation of these labels by the members of this society they will
manifest, alternatively creating a divide and separating people into groups based on factors such as
race, nationality, sex, age, income, etc. A disability is any condition of the body or mind, that makes
it increasingly difficult or completely limits them from performing certain activities and interacting
with the world around them. Rebecca’s disability is tetraplegia following a traffic accident when she
was 5 which left her permanently paralysed. This disability affects her competence in carrying out
daily tasks and impairs her capabilities in comparison to an able-bodied child. Rebecca depends on
the support of her family, her social worker and her teachers within her special needs school. As a
result of this disability that physically distinguishes her from the rest of society Rebecca will be met
with discriminatory attitudes. This prejudicial societal reaction is also applicable to Ben as he has
been born with down’s syndrome which limits his intellectual, physical and social abilities. Ben will
therefore need assistance with almost every aspect of his living, he will need aid in managing bills,
seeking employment and everyday household chores will need to be completed by a care worker.
Ben will have a difficult time socialising outside of the residential care home; he will need additional
time when conversing with others as he may not instantly be able to communicate his feelings and
opinions.
Treating certain individuals differently compared to others constitutes discrimination. Rebecca faces
discrimination due to her tetraplegia, children her age group may feel reluctant in befriending her
due to their inability to comprehend disability. Additionally, Rebecca’s wheelchair will intimidate the
society around her leading to harsh comments as well as it becomes a limitation to her mobility
within buildings that are not wheelchair friendly, society around her will refuse to introduce
inclusivity because of their prejudice towards people with impairments. These factors promote
disability discrimination, when a person is deliberately placed at a disadvantage because of their
disability. Ben is also a victim to discrimination as he was rejected entry to a funfair due to his
appearance, he was also yelled at by a group of youths, this exclusionary attitude towards Ben
regarding his disability is considered as a violation of the equality act 2010. Every setting should
implement this act within their list of polices and legislations to create a more inclusive
environment. The equality act 2010 exists to maintain social order and prevent anyone from feeling
excluded, this act states that people will be legally protected from discrimination in larger society.
The characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010 are age, disability, gender reassignment,
marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and sex. Therefore,
Rebecca and Ben’s conditions constitute under this law as it has been deliberately installed to
prevent ableism, they are legally protected.
An impairment is the term used to refer to the loss or abnormality of a body function that can be
anatomical, physiological and psychological. Ben’s down syndrome will make it challenging for him
to conduct his daily activities as it affects his cognitive ability, Ben has a moderate learning disability
that limits his development, resulting in his learning age being 8. This is a significant barrier for Ben
because during the process of learning new concepts he will be noticeably slower at interpreting and
digesting the information in comparison to those without a cognitive barrier. Rebeccas barrier is
physical due to her tetraplegia that has left her paralysed, she is unable to move her fingers, legs,
arms, feet and toes. This puts her at a greater disadvantage due to the huge role that mobility plays
within daily life. A task that would seem minimal to other people will be increasingly challenging for
Rebecca due to the fragility of her condition, she will need additional equipment for the slightest
, tasks. The equality Act 2010 protects these individuals as one of the 9 protected characteristics is
disability, this legal framework will ensure both Ben and Rebecca are respected and are not
discriminated against as part of their rights.
Furthermore, there are two models of disability that are applicable to both Ben and Rebecca. Firstly,
the social model which explain disability as a factor defined by the attitude of society. Secondly, is
the medical model, which defines disability as something ‘wrong’ with the individual that must be
diagnosed and treated to achieve normality.
The medical model of disability argues that the individual is impaired because of their medical
conditions and differences. This model views disability is a hindrance to the person and focuses on
what needs to be ‘fixed’ with the person rather than their needs. The argument that disabled people
are essentially victims of their impairment prevents them from aspiring to live a full life due to
initiating a sense of learned helplessness. In addition to this, they believe it creates low expectations
and leads to people losing independence, choice and their lives. By insinuating that disability is a
limitation holding them back the individual with the impairment will have low expectations of their
quality of life. They will feel vulnerable and helpless in establishing their own choices and
independence due to the model stating that the disability restricts them, damaging their capability
to accomplish a sense of normality and integrate within society. This approach is applicable to
Rebecca since she is only 8 and has been diagnosed with tetraplegia which will permanently alter her
way of living. In accordance with the medical model Rebecca will need lots of interventions to
maintain her condition and ‘fix’ her health. Rebecca will need to see a physiotherapist to relieve
stiffness in the body, this will relieve her of pain and improve her quality of life, however it does not
aid in curing or ‘fixing’ her condition due to its permanence. Rebecca will be increasingly susceptible
to the idea that she is ‘broken’ due to having had experience of a relatively ‘normal’ life beforehand,
through comparisons she will feel inclined to believe in the medical model due to the drastic change
she has experienced. Likewise, Ben’s condition is also permanent due to it being a genetic disorder
that he was born with. Regarding the fact that Ben has had this condition for the entirety of his life,
condemning him as an individual who needs to be medically cured will ruin his self-perception due
to the implication that he will remain disadvantaged for the rest of his life. Ben will experience
deprivation in acquiring the extra support he needs to maintain his health; the medical model
suggests he is beyond ‘fixing’ and therefore treatment may be regarded as useless. A criticism of this
model is that it promotes ableism in its labelling of disabled people as ‘disadvantaged’ or ‘broken’.
Through this theory people will feel justified in their discriminatory attitudes towards individuals
with impairments. People will feel inclined to pity disabled people and infantilise them, through this
model society will reduce them to nothing more than an unfortunate individual, by reducing them to
their disability in this derogatory manner it strips the disabled person of the opportunity to
experience life relatively normally.
On the other hand, the social model believes that disability is a social construct and a product of
society's dismissive attitudes towards individuals with impairments. Society fails to look beyond their
differences. People without disabilities tend to stigmatise disabled people and create assumptions
based on the portrayal of disabled people within media in which they are majority of the time shown
as pitiful and frail. This negative label manifests into a self-fulfilling prophecy, when the individual is
constantly labelled as disadvantaged and helpless without regards to their individualism or
empowerment, they will eventually begin to believe it. This becomes their master status and
overrides any other aspects of their personality, as a result the disabled individual will conform to
the stereotypes surrounding their condition and gain a sense of learned helplessness. This occurs
because of repetitive situations that demean the person, they come to believe that they are unable
to control the narrative surrounding their identity and consequently, will not try. Society constructs
this weak portrayal of disability due to their inability to introduce inclusivity and adapt the
environment to assist in making it easier for those with impairments. Rebecca is a wheelchair user;
