Intersectional Disability Justice: From Principles to Practice

Do you know the difference between the social and medical model of disability?

And could you give an example in 90 seconds?

The difference is something like this:

👉 The medical model asks us to see disability as a problem located within the individual. In this view, the goal is to 'fix' or manage the person so they can live a more 'normal' life. You’ll often notice deficit-based language here – phrases like 'suffering from' or 'wheelchair-bound'. The power sits with medical professionals, and the individual is positioned as the problem.

👉 The social model, on the other hand, shifts the focus entirely. It tells us that disability is not caused by a person’s impairment, but by the barriers around them. These barriers can be physical – like buildings with no ramps – but more often they are attitudinal and structural: systems, norms, and assumptions that exclude people by default.

The amazing Jamie Spurway gives an example of how this applies in airports in the video below. 

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/27aa99_50b3e6299dec4086982ac3871eccef04/720p/mp4/file.mp4

If you’re interested in going deeper into ideas like this – and exploring how disability justice connects with wider issues of equity and inclusion – we’re running an upcoming session:

📽️ Intersectional Disability Justice: From Principles to Practice

We’ll be unpacking concepts like this and connecting them to real-world action.

DETAILS

1️⃣ Who's this for?

It’s designed for anyone who wants to move beyond theory and start thinking about what this means in practice.

2️⃣ What to expect

A generative, collaborative session that moves:

from insight → to application → to collective action.

3️⃣ Logistics

This is an online event on Monday 13 April 2026, 2.30-5.00pm

You can book a place here.