7.3 Disability management models

Summary of Disability Management Models

There are several models used in disability management, each with a unique perspective on disability and return-to-work efforts.

1. Medical Model

   • Focuses on the individual's impairment as the primary barrier to returning to work.

   • Rehabilitation efforts are centered on diagnosis, prognosis, and expected recovery timelines.

   • Managed care falls under this model, using standardized disability guidelines to estimate expected recovery and workability.

2. Environmental/Social Model

   • Emphasizes external barriers rather than the individual’s impairment.

   • Disability is viewed as a result of inaccessible environments (e.g., lack of wheelchair ramps, inadequate job accommodations).

   • Vocational rehabilitation focuses on modifying surroundings and work conditions to enable full participation.

3. Forensic Model

   • Concerned with the medico-legal aspects of disability.

   • Focuses on determining employability, earning capacity, and legal claims rather than rehabilitation.

   • Common in insurance and legal settings.

4. Biopsychosocial Model

   • Integrates elements of both the medical and social models.

   • Considers biological (medical condition), psychological (mental well-being), and social (environmental barriers) factors.

   • Vocational rehabilitation professionals work on both medical recovery and workplace accommodations to facilitate return-to-work.

Quiz: Disability Management Models

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which disability model focuses primarily on a person’s medical condition as the main factor in their ability to work?
   a) Environmental/Social Model
   b) Forensic Model
   c) Medical Model
   d) Biopsychosocial Model

2. What is a key characteristic of the Medical Model?
   a) Focus on external barriers to employment
   b) Emphasis on prognosis and standardized recovery timelines
   c) Determining future earning capacity
   d) Modifying the workplace to accommodate disabilities

3. Which model views external factors (e.g., workplace accessibility) as the primary cause of disability-related challenges?
   a) Forensic Model
   b) Medical Model
   c) Environmental/Social Model
   d) Biopsychosocial Model

4. What is the primary focus of the Forensic Model?
   a) Rehabilitation and return-to-work
   b) Assessing employability and future earning capacity
   c) Workplace accommodations
   d) Psychological support for workers with disabilities

5. How does the Biopsychosocial Model differ from the Medical Model?
   a) It only focuses on medical conditions.
   b) It does not consider psychological or social factors.
   c) It integrates medical, psychological, and social aspects of disability.
   d) It is only used in legal settings.

6. Which model is commonly associated with insurance claims and legal proceedings?
   a) Forensic Model
   b) Environmental/Social Model
   c) Biopsychosocial Model
   d) Medical Model

7. Which approach does the Biopsychosocial Model take towards disability?
   a) A strict medical perspective on recovery timelines
   b) A legal assessment of a worker’s ability to earn income
   c) A combination of medical, psychological, and social factors
   d) A sole focus on removing workplace barriers

8. A company providing Braille materials and wheelchair ramps is applying which disability model?
   a) Medical Model
   b) Biopsychosocial Model
   c) Forensic Model
   d) Environmental/Social Model

Answer Key

1. c) Medical Model

2. b) Emphasis on prognosis and standardized recovery timelines

3. c) Environmental/Social Model

4. b) Assessing employability and future earning capacity

5. c) It integrates medical, psychological, and social aspects of disability

6. a) Forensic Model

7. c) A combination of medical, psychological, and social factors

8. d) Environmental/Social Model