in English - Handicap International

According to this traditional paradigm, people with disabilities are considered
objects of pity rather than people with rights or who are entitled to rights. This
conception gave rise to different derogatory names for people with disabilities:
invalid, crippled, paralytic, “blindie,” “deafie,” mongoloid, moron, crazy,
stupid, exceptional, special, etc. All of these imply “poor
thing.” This approach tends to infantilize the disabled, or characterize them as
children even when they are adults.
Even today, when they realize that their child has been born with some type of
deficiency, parents ask themselves:
• “What did we do wrong?”
• “What did we do to deserve this?”
• “What are we paying for?”
• Or some other similar question, rather than seeing that their child’s condition
has a scientific explanation, and that they will need to work hard to
make sure that this quality does not limit their child’s development and inclusion
within society.
This is the legacy of the traditional paradigm in our society today.
b. The biological or medical paradigm
The biological paradigm centers the problem in the person with the deficiencies
or limitations. To overcome the patient’s functional limitations, a range of
professionals and specialists offer the person various services and treatments.
This approach sees the person as a passive recipient of institutional support.
Specialized clinics and rehabilitation centers usually provide this support.
Here, the person is considered a patient who requires the intervention of rehabilitation
professionals in order to adapt to the surrounding environment (social
and physical). In this case, the change that is needed is centered more in the
“patient” than in the environment.
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