Dyslexic students in english language classes

Models of disability

There are two major models of disability, the medical model and the social model. Further “models” exist, but the dominant one in Europe with respect to disabilities is the social model. The differences are outlines in the table below.

	Medical model	Social model
Definition of Disability	An individual is limited by his/her impairment or condition	An impairment that requires an accommodation to perform functions required to carry out life activities.
Strategy to Address Disability	Fix the individual, correct the deficit	Remove barriers, ensure access through accommodation and universal design.
Method to Address Disability	Provision of medical, vocational, or psychological rehabilitation services	Provision of supports, e.g., ICT, job coach, specialist teaching.
Source of Intervention	Professionals, clinicians, and other rehabilitation service providers	Mainstream service providers, with training in delivery of specific needs.
Entitlements	Eligibility for benefits based on severity of impairment	Eligibility for accommodations seen as civil right

In reality, appropriate support does not fit neatly into either category, and many practitioners would argue that it is inappropriate to try to push dyslexia provision into one compartment of the other. The above is a theoretical framework designed to provide a basis for discussion.

Most of the current support in the field of dyslexia in Europe may be seen as trying to fit the “social” model and people will argue that it is the social model that should be pursued. However, there are problems with this model, and the desire to fulfil specific goals based on a theoretical model may be highlighted when you consider university specialists dedicated to supporting the dyslexic individual. Using the above model, these would appear to come under the “medical” model, since they are disability specific specialists. It may be argued that it would be better to train mainstream service providers to cater for all, which would reflect a “social” model. This would ensure greater support across the spectrum, but would mean the withdrawal of the specialist support. Furthermore, universal design, that is designs that may be used by all, is a goal, but should not be seen as the only possibility. Due consideration should be given to the compromises that are forced through current technological considerations. What should done is provide access to content through alternative means, rather than have what amounts to a “one size suits all” approach.

A thought should also be given to those who are supplying materials to be used by the dyslexic individual. Currently many universities give considerable support to those with literacy difficulties based on the problems of obtaining knowledge and information from the written word. In the dyslexia world, there is an emphasis on lecturers making presentations more visually stimulating. However, much support is given to those lecturers who, when it comes to “visual literacy”, may be considered disabled? If we are to consider the difficulties of those customarily receiving knowledge in the written format, should we not also provide support to those lecturers and tutors who are being asked to present in a format that is not their preferred format?