Medical Model of Disability
In the 1960s the thinking was that the problems lay with the individuals who have the disabilities. The first model of disability was called the medical model. The medical model of disability says exactly that, and also that people with disabilities need to accommodate society and not the other way round. It denies people their individuality and self-worth as they are not viewed as fitting into the norms of society.
They used to talk about needing to cure others with disabilities. The medical model also gave people with disabilities credit suggesting they were experts in their disabilities. In essence, this model focuses more on the negative attributes of people with disabilities. For instance, it highlights that people need caring for, have trouble going out, and things which suggest their disabilities are the problems.
Also, non-disabled people decided what kinds of lives people with disabilities should have in terms of, what school they should go to, where they should live, or whether or not they should be employed. As we can see, people with disabilities had little control over their lives according to the medical model approach. In the 1960s, people with disabilities were mostly shut away meaning that there was no real need to make buildings wheelchair accessible.
The Medical model is misleading as it suggests that people with disabilities are patients who are ill and dependent on the medical profession.