Thus far, we’ve covered five of the main features of the biomedical model - the model that underpins so much of the theory behind the way physiotherapy functions. These have been: Specific aetiology, or the search for the specific cause of the patient’s signs and symptoms Germ theory and the belief that illness is caused by disease within the body Cartesian dualism and the mind-body split Objectivity and experimentation And reductionism, or the anti-holistic belief that the person can be understood as a collection of systems and structures In this penultimate post, we’ll look at normalisation. Normalisation is the belief that certain people, certain … [Read more...] about What is the biomedical model #6
Notes on the Social Model of Disability and Critical Physiotherapy – by Thomas Abrams
The following is a response to Professor Mike Oliver’s post of 5th June, 2015, with introduction by Dave Nicholls, “The Social model of Disability and Physiotherapy: Reflections from Mike Oliver.” I was delighted to see some work from another non-physiotherapist on this site.[1] While I am always excited to read posts by people who would change physical therapy from within, I think this must also take place in consultation with those across the floor, so to speak. I’d been getting lonely. I was especially interested to see someone as prominent as Dr. Oliver participate in the dialogue. If there is a unifying approach to disability in the field of disability studies, particularly (but not … [Read more...] about Notes on the Social Model of Disability and Critical Physiotherapy – by Thomas Abrams
Connectivity – Contributions from the Network #9 – Naomi Eisenberg
Thanks to everyone who sent me comments and thoughts on the Connectivity writing project. Over the next few days I'll post up some of the feedback and thoughts that these pieces. Remember to send comments on these things too and I'll pull them all together. This post came from Naomi Eisenberg Departments of Allied Health and Vascular Surgery, University Health Network, Toronto and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Naomi Eisenberg Well, I think that a logical critique of the medical model could evolve from Foucault and his thoughts on the medical gaze…in The Birth of the Clinic he writes of how the patient is … [Read more...] about Connectivity – Contributions from the Network #9 – Naomi Eisenberg
Connectivity – Contributions from the Network #7 – Jonathan Harvey
Thanks to everyone who sent me comments and thoughts on the Connectivity writing project. Over the next few days I'll post up some of the feedback and thoughts that these pieces. Remember to send comments on these things too and I'll pull them all together. This post came from Jonathan Harvey, PhD candidate (just submitted!), clinician and brain injury sufferer, working at the Open University in the UK. I begin this short note by situating myself as a brain injury survivor who engages with a host of different objects (both living and otherwise) and environments on a daily basis. I started my undergraduate studies with two years of a three year physiotherapy degree in 2001-2003. In … [Read more...] about Connectivity – Contributions from the Network #7 – Jonathan Harvey
Connectivity #2 – Connectivity explained
This post is part of a new project for the Critical Physiotherapy Network. If you want to know more about the project, track back to this postFirst off, a qualifier...connectivity is a complex subject. It would be very hard to sum it up in a few hundred words. My task here is to outline how I understand it in a way that brings other people in to the discussion. Apologies if this explanation misses the mark for you...by all means feel free to offer up your own interpretations in the comments box below. Having argued in the last post that the two prevailing models of disability (the medical and social) rely on the idea that the disabled person is 'other,' connectivity is striking … [Read more...] about Connectivity #2 – Connectivity explained
Connectivity #1 – Critique of the medical and social models of disability
This post is part of a new project for the Critical Physiotherapy Network. If you want to know more about the project, track back to this post.One of the best ways I know to understand connectivity is as a powerful critique of both the medical and social models of disability. The medical model of disability is based on the premise that you are disabled if you have an impairment. You are disabled, for example, if you are blind, have lost sensation down the left side of your body, or have chronic lung disease. By contrast, the social model of disability works from the assumption that it is not impairments that are inherently disabling, but social environments that present barriers to … [Read more...] about Connectivity #1 – Critique of the medical and social models of disability