The Affirmation Model as a Subversive Narrative

In this article I will introduce the affirmation model of impairment and disability, outlining where it has come from and why it is required. I shall explore this model in relation to the dominant individual and personal tragedy models, and as an extension of the social model developed by disabled people (UPIAS, 1976; Oliver and Barnes, 2012). I propose the affirmation model as a tool for practical use, both by disabled people and social workers (among others) for making a different sense of the meanings of both impairment and disability to those commonly understood and acted on. I will close by considering a number of statements by disabled people, reflecting on these in the light of a philosophical proposal made by the Spanish existentialist Miguel de Unamuno.