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Models of disability

The way that people with disability have been treated and how we think about disability has changed over time. Knowing about the different models of disability helps us to understand how to support people with disability achieve their goals. 

Last updated: 17 Nov 2025

Two middle aged people in an office setting. One person is in an electric wheelchair with a face mask to assist with breathing and they are having a conversation together.

“Disability is not the problem of the individual, (rather) a result of the mismatch between the individual and their environment… A person with disability can go through a whole day not really thinking about the disability, if their environment is structured in a way that responds to their needs.” 1 

Dr George Taleporos GAICD, PhD
Slide 1

Overview 

The way we understand disability, and how we treat people with disability, has changed a lot over the years. Different ways of thinking about disability, called models of disability, show how society’s views have changed. Understanding the different models of disability is important because they shape our thoughts and opinions about disability. 

These models help us decide if we see disability as: 

  • a problem inside the person that needs to be fixed, or
  • a problem caused by barriers in society that need to be removed. 

By learning about the models, we can see the value of a human rights approach to disability. This is because the human rights model of disability shifts the focus from trying to ‘fix’ people to removing the social barriers so that everyone has the chance to meet their goals. 

Medical and charitable models
The charitable model portrays people with disability as needing ‘care’. Advances in medicine saw a shift towards the medical model which focuses on ‘curing’ or…
The social model of disability
This model focuses on how the broader environment such as attitudes, systems and inaccessible spaces in the built environment ‘disables’ people with…
The biopsychosocial model
This model of disability considers how biological, psychological and social factors interact to create disability. 
The human rights approach
The human rights approach to disability recognises that all people, regardless of disability, have the right to work and that adaptations and supports should…

The models of disability and employment 

It is important to understand that while the models of disability have developed over time, they don’t follow a neat timeline where a new one replaces the earlier one. Elements of older models can still be found today.  

Both the biopsychosocial and human rights models of disability agree that health issues and impairments can have a big impact on people’s everyday lives. Employment services need to consider these impacts and work with each person to ensure that they have access to the right mix of adaptations and supports to mediate them.  

Employment services need to work with people at an individual level to identify the things that ‘disable’ them and create barriers to work, as well as the things that will enable their participation. 

Key strategies for success 

  1. Work with the person to understand their health condition or impairment, and their access to the right mix of supports if required.
  2. Make sure that you have a good understanding of their personal characteristics – including things like their age, gender, skills, confidence and education level.
  3. Consider the ideal work environment – including things like the availability of flexibility and workplace adjustments, assistive technology and other supports.2
  4. Take a human rights approach – everyone has the right to participate and be included. Employment is a human right and there are laws that make sure that this right is respected and protected. 
  5. Consider the broader environment – how supportive is the person’s environment? To be fully included, people with disability may need access to appropriate supports like accessible transport, housing, education and income support.3
Guide
How we talk about disability matters!
There are four main frameworks people use to describe disability. These frameworks are known as the ‘models’ of disability. From an advocacy perspective, it’s…

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