Access2 Card

Having the ability to approach or enter a place. This can also refer to information and having the ability to take in and process this information.

According to the medical model of understanding disability, a person with a disability is someone who has a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity. This definition focuses on what is lacking in the individual and looks to the system to fix it. The social model of Disability says: Disability is caused by the way society is organized, rather than by a person’s differences. It looks at ways of removing physical, attitudinal, communication, and systemic societal barriers so disabled people can be independent and equal in society, with choice and control over their own lives. Disability is not a personal problem or limitation to be overcome by an individual, but rather a failure of society to be inclusive and accessible. Sometimes the word Disability is capitalized and other times it is not. When Disability is capitalized it is an act of reclamation, which acknowledges Disability as a source of diversity that fosters pride, while celebrating that Disabled people have a shared identity, culture, and community. We embrace the strengths that come with being Disabled. When disability is not capitalized it refers to the medical model definition (or diagnosis) of disability or to a disabled person who chooses not to identify with the label of belonging to the community of Disability.