Which statement describes barriers in the social model?

Which statement describes barriers in the social model?

• A. Barriers are caused by impairment
• B. Barriers are caused by medical diagnosis
• C. Barriers are consequences of lack of social organization
• D. Barriers do not exist

Answer: (C)

In the social model, barriers arise from how society is organized, not from the individual's impairment. This view highlights that things like inaccessible environments, discriminatory attitudes, and rigid policies create obstacles to participation. So describing barriers as consequences of a lack of social organization fits best, because it points to missing structures, supports, and accommodations that would enable inclusion. The other ideas—blaming barriers on impairment or a medical diagnosis, or saying barriers don’t exist—miss the social model’s emphasis on how the surrounding system can disable people, rather than something inherent in the person. For example, stairs without ramps become barriers because the environment isn’t organized to be accessible, not because of the person's abilities.

In the social model, barriers arise from how society is organized, not from the individual's impairment. This view highlights that things like inaccessible environments, discriminatory attitudes, and rigid policies create obstacles to participation. So describing barriers as consequences of a lack of social organization fits best, because it points to missing structures, supports, and accommodations that would enable inclusion. The other ideas—blaming barriers on impairment or a medical diagnosis, or saying barriers don’t exist—miss the social model’s emphasis on how the surrounding system can disable people, rather than something inherent in the person. For example, stairs without ramps become barriers because the environment isn’t organized to be accessible, not because of the person's abilities.