Blog
Social Model of Disability
Thinking and practice around access and inclusion in cultural life has evolved significantly over the last 20 years. The push for greater representation of difference and diversity has seen museums, galleries, television, music, theatre and dance all showcase the incredible talent of those that have traditionally been sidelined and marginalised from popular culture. By framing disability as a societal issue, the Social Model empowers people with disabilities to demand their right to participate in cultural life, fostering a sense of belonging and community, highlighting the value of diverse perspectives in enriching cultural experiences for everyone.
In terms of Flow’s work, we place access and inclusion at the centre of what we do. We are driven by the conviction that art and culture is for all and so we thought we’d share a few of the models that guide us when we work with consultation, evaluation and design.
The social model of disability is an approach which was developed in the 60’s, with the specific term emerging in the 80’s. It is a framework that distinguishes between impairment and disability.
It proposes that disability is not inherently caused by an individual’s physical, sensory, or cognitive impairments, but rather by societal barriers that restrict their participation. These barriers can be physical (e.g. inaccessible buildings), attitudinal (e.g. stigma or discrimination), or systemic (e.g. policies that exclude people with disabilities).
There are three key areas in understanding how it can frame participating in a cultural life:
Disability is a social construct: The model shifts the focus from “fixing” the individual and their disability (the Medical model) to addressing the societal structures that create exclusion.
Barriers are the problem, not the person: It emphasizes that society, not the individual, needs to change to enable full participation.
Empowerment and inclusion: The model advocates for the rights of people with disabilities to participate equally in all aspects of life, including cultural life.
The social model has had a profound impact on how people with disabilities engage in cultural activities, such as art, music, theatre, and heritage. A maxim we often used when I worked at the V&A was that, “Good design changes lives” – making accessibility integral to the way we approach design shows how it benefits everyone, sometimes in unexpected ways. Here’s how:
Accessible Cultural Spaces
The model has driven the push for physical accessibility in cultural venues (e.g., ramps, elevators, accessible seating, and sensory-friendly environments) and engrained this into law for new and public buildings. For example, museums and theaters are increasingly adopting universal design principles to ensure everyone can enjoy their offerings making spaces more useable by not only D/disabled people, but also people who are neurodiverse, elderly, carrying an injury, carrying a child and so on…
Inclusive Programming
Cultural institutions are creating programs specifically designed for people with disabilities, such as sign language-interpreted performances, audio-described tours, and relaxed performances for those with sensory sensitivities. Our work with Divergent Sounds, a newly commissioned piece of music to convey the experience of neurodiversity, applied the Social Model not only in the creative work itself, but also in the visitor experience, co-creation and evaluation. See our case study and article by researcher Virginia Carter Leno at KCL. This ensures that people with disabilities are not just passive observers but are active participants in cultural life.
Representation in Culture
The social model has encouraged greater representation of people with disabilities in cultural productions, both as creators and as subjects. This includes films, books, and art that reflect the experiences of people with disabilities, challenging stereotypes and promoting understanding.
The cultural sector’s workforce has long faced accusations of exclusivity with research showing that it is in general much-less diverse than the general population. Along with barriers the global majority and working class, disabled people have been excluded from representation in the sector due to attitudinal and systemic factors. I was lucky enough to be a mentor on Accentuate’s “Curating for Change” which was a project to bring about step change by partnering emerging D/disabled curators within museums to produce exhibitions which explore disability through their collections. They have produced excellent guidance on supporting D/disabled staff, how to present their stories and ambitions for the sector. Their current project, “Curating Visibility“, builds on its success and some of the tools and learnings which emerged from it and will be running until the end of 2026.
Multi-Platform Experiences
Technology can be a huge enabler for inclusion, however it can also place barriers in the way for people with disabilities to be able to use them. Building in multi-sensory elements, assistive tools and parallel ways to engage offer not only the opportunity to open the experience to more people, but also challenge artists and creators to push the boundaries of technology and think about it from multiple perspectives.
“In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats” is a VR experience that transports participants back to the heady days of Acid House and raves. As a highly visual, physical and sonic experience if presented challenges as to how it would be accessible to all. However, this opened new doors to exploring the subject and form of the piece. The experience includes a seated version for wheelchair users, subtitles, haptics (vibration), access packs, VR explainer, scene descriptions, and a touch tour for d/Deaf audiences. Visitors can also use haptic vests to enhance the multi-sensory journey, making it inclusive for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
When we carry out consultation we ensure that everyone has the chance to participate. This can include things like us preparing different types of materials, ensuring that there are screen readable resources, providing remote access or one to one sessions, and pre-session information on what to expect.
Policy and Advocacy
The model has influenced policies like the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which emphasizes the right to participate in cultural life (Article 30). Governments and organisations are held accountable for ensuring cultural inclusion in UK law through the Equality Act 2010 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
By better understanding and being open to, reflective on and critical of the barriers that people face, we can support the cultural sector to be more responsive to what D/disabled and neurodiverse people are telling us. It all begins with listening, creating a space to be heard and respect. There is fantastic work happening across the UK which is shifting the needle on systemic change and it’s such a privilege to be part of that conversation and action.
Further Resources
https://www.scope.org.uk/social-model-of-disability
https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/social-model-disability-language