Achieving equality for disabled people will require a near-universal understanding that the barriers and factors which cause disabled people to have less choices and options than non-disabled people are almost entirely societal in nature. These barriers must be addressed through societal and attitudinal change, rather than being issues that the disabled people themselves can address for themselves alone.

It is essential to use language which positions the disability as a societal issue, rather than a medical one. The medical model views disability simply as an outcome of illness, inherited conditions and other negatively framed concepts, for which people need to be treated, managed, or cured. Instead, the social model of disability recognises that society is not designed to accommodate those with impairments, who often face barriers to their participation. If these barriers are removed, a person may still have an impairment but will not experience disability.

Under the social model, individuals with impairments are described as ‘disabled people’ rather than ‘people with disabilities.’ This language recognises individuals’ impairments and the possible need for reasonable adjustments, but positions the availability or lack of that adjustment as the reason for the barrier existing or not, rather than it merely being misfortune of the individual.

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