Social Model
The term ‘Social Model of Disability’ was first coined in 1983 by a disability activist and academic named Mike Oliver. The Social Model gave name to an idea that had been building up among other activists and academics over the course of the previous decade. Created in response to the dominant Medical Model of Disability which presumes ‘we are disabled by our bodies’, the Social Model of Disability, clarifies that yes, we are disabled. But we are not disabled by our bodies. We are disabled by the world around us.