You have probably heard of the social model of disability, but I wonder how many people know the definitions of this. I certainly didn’t and I have only ever really known the social model of disability, through an instinctive ability to non-discriminate but also through years of training and education on an inclusive approach.

The World Health Organisation defines this as ‘the interaction between the person with a disability and the world or environment around them’. It suggests that barriers experienced by the person with a disability are due to social and environmental factors and not by the condition itself. I heard a great example of this from a former colleague of mine who trains people who are visually impaired to navigate their environment as independently as possible. He said that the person in the wheelchair is not disabled whilst they move up and down even pavements, but if the bus pulls up and doesn’t have a ramp, then they are disabled by the sheer fact that they can’t get on the bus. Similarly, the person who is blind wants to cross the road safely without the use of tactile paving, a cane or audible traffic signals. These are environmental adaptations that can be made without huge amounts of fuss but which enable people with disabilities to access their spaces and their community.

I have reflected on this a lot, and absolutely and wholeheartedly agree and am grateful for the progress made for people with disabilities. However, it is sometimes the condition which also disables and as a mum of someone with Down’s Syndrome, I have had to learn to accept that.

Having worked with people with complex needs for the last 10 years and delivered training for organisations to made adaptations, there is a lot we can do to make the learning environment and general spaces accessible. I blogged about this a few weeks ago on how a football coach made the game accessible for our daughter with just a few strategies. However, I have also battled with the slow progress on all fronts that Trudy will inevitably make because of her condition. There is both hope and despair in this post because we tried to support Trudy to get on her feet, and talk, and go to the toilet independently, and read, and write, and add up, the list goes on. There is so much complex learning happening for her that she just isn’t ready for, and we (or more so I) have had to acknowledge that. She attends football but her slow progress will most likely mean she does not make it to the premier league (there is no real despair there). She goes to a mainstream school but that extra chromosome is widening the gap between her and her peers which prevents her from being fully included socially (honestly, a little concerned about this).

This all sounds doom and gloom, and it really isn’t, because our outlook has changed so that these things don’t matter anymore. Whilst it is important that the WHO and other organisations work hard to resolve environmental barriers that genuinely disable people, we mustn’t forget that there is a condition here that we must adapt to, about which we must manage our expectations because it is also disabling and needs to be treated with equitable practice. Our children are different and have different needs, and that is okay.