Bodies, Disability and Spaces: The social model and disabling spatial organisations

Abstract

This essay examines the relevance of socio-material space to the social model. The social model has been criticised as being disembodied. While there is some basis for this critique, the social model, in fact, has 'bodies in space' as a central concern. A distinction is made between disability as a sociocultural and biomedical category, and as a state of 'not being able to'. The latter usage is not just relevant to people with disabilities. In order to illustrate the strength of the social model, disabling social organisations of space-time practises are examined with a special emphasis on transport-public space. It is concluded that the social model offers insights into relationships between bodies, embodied agency and the social organisation of space-time.