THE SOCIAL MODEL OF DISABILITY AND THE PROBLEM OF STIGMATIZATION: A HUMAN RIGHTS–BASED APPROACH

Abstract

This article scientifically examines how disability is interpreted by society as a disease or individual defect, which reinforces the process of stigmatization. Such an approach can lead to the social exclusion of persons with disabilities, limiting their opportunities and rights. In this study, stigmatization is analyzed as a social labeling mechanism that positions individuals in opposition to other members of society[1].

Furthermore, when stigma is internalized by the individual, it becomes a psychosocial factor that shapes their behavior and leads to self-limitation[2]. The article also highlights the historical foundations of the social model of disability, emphasizing that this model views the cause of disability not in the individual’s physical or intellectual limitations, but in the institutional, cultural, and infrastructural barriers created by society.