Honours for our DP 100 community

Honours for our DP 100 community

by | Jun 27, 2024 | Uncategorised

Huge congratulations to members of our Disability Power 100 community who have been recognised in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours list. 

These include 2023 finalist Professor Chloe Orkin who has received an MBE. Chloe is a prominent medical leader (former Chair of the British HIV Association and President of the Medical Women’s Federation) and a world-renowned HIV infectious disease researcher who has published ground-breaking research on HIV and mpox. She has published on disability in the medical and academic workforce and given podcasts on invisible disability. Chloe received her MBE for services to the NHS.          

From 2022, we have No. 1 Rose Ayling Ellis who received an MBE for voluntary services to the Deaf Community. 

2021 finalist Ally Castle also received an MBE for services to Inclusivity and Diversity in Broadcasting. 

And Chella Quint, one of our 2024 shortlisted nominees has received an OBE. Chella is a Period Positive Campaigner, Author and Educator who received her OBE for services to Education. 

Congratulations to all those who have been recognised for their work with disabled people – perhaps we’ll see some of them within the Disability Power 100 or as allies in future. 

The Social Model of Disability

The Social Model of Disability

by | Jun 27, 2024 | Uncategorised

At Shaw Trust our work is guided by the social model of disability. We also support the identity model, which is closely related to the social model and emphasizes disability as a positive identity.  

The social model of disability 

The social model of disability recognises society runs in ways that are disabling. It says disability is created by a society that creates barriers that make life harder for disabled people. The social model says people are disabled by these barriers, not by their impairment or difference.  

Barriers can be:  

  • Physical  

Buildings not having ramps or accessible toilets.  

  • Attitudinal  

Believing that disabled people can’t do certain things. 

The social model helps us understand that removing these barriers improves equality and inclusion.  

The social model of disability explains that impairment and disability mean different things.  

An impairment is the physical or mental difficulty a person experiences. A disability is the experience of not being able to take part in society because of the barriers you face.  

The social model of disability was developed by disabled people in the late 20th century, including Mike Oliver.  

The identity model of disability 

People who use the identity model of disability feel comfortable with their disability. They believe disability is a shared experience of society not being designed for disabled people.  

The identity model of disability believes disability is about membership much like gender or race.  

The identity model says people can demand equal access for themselves and everyone else. (p. 5)Brewer et al. (2012) 

Talking about disability  

When we talk about disability at Shaw Trust, we are inclusive of all people who experience barriers because of an impairment or medical diagnosis, including those in the Deaf and neurodiverse communities.  

We appreciate that not all people identify as disabled and will always respect personal preferences.  

‘When we talk about disability at Shaw Trust, we are inclusive of all people who experience barriers because of an impairment or medical diagnosis’