Disability 101: The Social Model
I’ve been working through my thoughts on justifying the presence of disability in SFF—that is, how to integrate it and do so in a meaningful and nuanced manner—and come up against the “what if” of well what if magic or tech makes your standard sorts of disabilities simply less plausible? Let’s pretend for a moment that your story, whether fantasy or science fiction, is set in a utopian world where disease and disability have been erased. Even then, there’s an answer to the conundrum of how to justify disability–or an analog of disability. And that answer is the Social Model of Disability.
What is that? Well, in short, it’s the assertion that ‘disability’ is relative to the normalized level of ability and the structure of society that surrounds that. If a person is unable to function with as much ease as a typical member of society for any reason, they are disabled. If they possess some disease or deficiency but have been provided with the care and structure necessary to have all the freedoms and opportunities as any other person, they’re not disabled.
Let’s go through some examples.
First, imagine a perfectly healthy person with a perfectly functioning body. If you move them from our world into one in which it’s normal to be able to fly, suddenly they are disabled. A society in which we can fly would build buildings differently, perhaps even with no ground-level entrance. They would expect shorter travel times that are simply impossible for a normal human. They would design clothing and hold sports and activities that a human simply can’t do. Because we can’t fly. Living in that world would be full of obstacles (and frustration)!
Now, let’s go back to our world. Imagine someone with very poor eyesight. Without glasses, they’re legally blind–the world is barely a mass of light and smudges. We have the technology to create corrective lenses for that, though–as soon as this person goes to the doctor to get their eyes tested, get the prescription, and make the order, they’re days to hours away from being able to see. Think about it. A whole sense returned to someone with these items we barely think about wearing on our faces. So long as we have our glasses, we’re no longer living as disabled people in the world. We can drive, read, find things, and take part in visual hobbies such as art or gaming!
I mean, be honest–do you really see someone who wears glasses and think ‘That is a disabled person’? No. It’s so normalized in our (US) society.
It’s worth noting that the same person above who doesn’t have the money or opportunity to get glasses is once again considered disabled by this model. Hell, they’ll even just go back to being disabled the moment their glasses break. The support that brings them up to a typical person’s ability is no longer there. That’s the case for real people, all over the world.
I’ve taken a rather complex philosophical view of the nature of being and condensed it down to about 300 words, so don’t expect this to be perfect. It is, however, enough of a basic gist for you to begin to bounce ideas around your head. What’s up with your fictional world? How is your fake society structured, and how does it create or relieve obstacles for different people? These are places you can find conflict, even whole plot points, as you dig in deeper.