Suppose a town rebuilt all its offices, buses and schools with ramps, lifts and Braille signs. For residents with impairments, which outcome would most likely follow from the sociological view of disability?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Their impairments would remain, but they would be less disabled in daily life.
Option (1) They would stay as disabled as before, since disability lies in the impairment. — Incorrect. This is the medical view, which places disability wholly in the body's impairment. The sociological view adds that a society built without these needs in mind also disables people, so removing barriers reduces disability.
Option (2) Their impairments would remain, but they would be less disabled in daily life. — Correct. In the sociological view, people are disabled not only by an impairment but also because society is built in a way that does not meet their needs. Ramps, lifts and Braille signs remove those barriers, so the impairment stays but disability in daily life falls.
Option (3) They would remain as disabled, since disability rests on public perception. — Incorrect. Public perception of the 'disabled' does need to be questioned, but disability does not rest on perception alone. It also comes from how society is built, so new ramps, lifts and signs would lessen it.
Option (4) They would become less impaired, since society produces impairment through its buildings. — Incorrect. The sociological view separates an impairment, a physical or mental condition, from disability. Buildings cannot change the impairment itself; they only lessen the disabling effect of a society not built for these needs.
NCERT (2026-27): “5.4 The Struggles of the Disabled “The very term ‘disabled’ is significant because it draws attention to the fact that public perception of the ‘disabled’ needs to be questioned.” |