User Experience Salaries & Calculator (2022)

CPACC #3 - Theoretical Models of Disability II

And we continue with the second part of the theoretical models of disability! This time with the economic model and the functional solutions model.



Economic model: defines disability as the inability of a person to work. It assumes a degree of productive involvement and economic consequence to the individual, employer or the state itself. What it basically says is that a person with physical or cognitive limitations is not going to generate the same as a person who does not have these limitations, and who may even need adaptations of the environment or specific tools.



His strengths are precisely these, that he recognises these limitations and that the demands should therefore not be the same and that it is necessary to adapt the facilities or tools to create a more productive space.



While its weakness is that these people are legally categorised or labelled as people with needs, resulting in stigmatisation.





The functional solutions model I believe is the most valuable from a product design perspective, as it is highly practical, identifying limitations and creating solutions to overcome them. The main focus is on eliminating or reducing the impact of functional constraints through technology or innovative methodologies. It has a high emphasis on business rather than socio-political aspects.



Its strength is that it is focused on the outcome, usually ignoring the socio-political implications, as anything that is not agile, does not solve.



While its greatest weakness is in the economic sphere, and in certain situations it loses focus and focuses more on the economic payoff, as it solves the problem, but ignores the user and the cost of its proposed solution.





In the next issue, we will finish this part by talking about the last two models: social and charity affiliation! 😃