Main theoretical approaches to functional diversity: A literature review

Abstract

Disability is a phenomenon that encompasses both personal and social factors. The former ones refer to limitations presented by subjects which makes it difficult or impossible for them to perform certain activities as a result of a deficiency, while the latter ones are equivalent to multiple barriers, which act as obstacles that lead to a considerable detriment in the degree of accessibility and citizen participation. Disability has experienced a visible evolution during the course of history through the development of different theoretical models to approach it. The aim of this article is to carry out a conceptual approach to the concept of functional diversity in base to the different paradigms of disability used in academic research. In order to do so, an exhaustive literature review was conducted to select articles dealing with theoretical discussion on the topic. A total of 47 articles worldwide were finally selected. After careful examination, the evidence showed that the independent living model and the social model of the disability are the prevalent models in the last decade. The medical and rehabilitation model have gradually faded as conceptual approaches to disability. The concretion of the later models is still ongoing and subject to disciplinary, political, societal and geographical perspectives.