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THE BIOMEDICAL/
INDIVIDUAL MODEL Historians and scientists alike consider the Copernican Revolution, that is, the discovery of Nicolaus Copernicus that the center that the center of the universe was the sun and not the Earth, is one of the most controversial yet significant discoveries of all time. It was revolutionary and bold because it dared to contradict the Bible as well as then-considered fundamental truths. But it was a breakthrough that Most evident was its contribution to scientific and technological advancement. What was not as apparent was how it paved the way for people to also shift mind-sets from a religious perspective to a more evidence- based model of disability called the biomedical (medical) model. Here, PWDs are seen as persons who are ill and meant to be treated or made more normal." (Olkin 1999 as cited in Retief and Letsosa 2018: 2-3) wrote "Disability is seen as a medical problem that resides in the individual. It is defect in or failure of a bodily system and as such, is inherently abnormal and pathological. The goals of intervention are cure, amelioration of the physical condition to the greatest extent possible, and rehabilitation (i.e., the adjustment of the person with disability to the condition and to the environment). Persons with disabilities are expected to avail themselves of the variety of services offered to them and to spend time in the role of patient or learner being helped by trained professionals" (p. 26). '(i.e., the able-bodied or typically developing) are superior than those with disabilities, and that they have a primary responsibility over the welfare of the disabled. Most interventions are thus devoted to making sure that the PWD catches up with his or her peers a practice that is very much ingrained in society this day (see figure 2.2). Figure 2.2. The Medical Model of Disability. Reprinted from Taxi Driver Training Pack, n.d., Retrieved from http://www.ddsg.org.uk/taxi/medical-model. html. Copyright 2003 by Democracy Disability and Society Group. It was during the 15th century when more schools for PWDs started to emerge in Europe. These first special schools were built by private philanthropic institutions. Although they initially catered only to those with sensory impairments such as deafness and blindness, other schools soon started accepting other disability types into their student roster. Interestingly, the curriculum for such educational institutions was different from that of public schools In special schools, the main focus was on building the vocational skills of students-a clear sign that the biomedical model sees PWDs as different from the majority. The idea of institutionalizing or bringing PWDs to asylums or hospitals for custodial care when they have become too difficult to manage also reached its peak with the reinforcement of the biomedical model (Jackson, 2018; Pritchard, 1960 and Bender, 1970 as cited in Kisanji, 1999).
