Biophänomenosoziales Modell von Behinderung

Contrary to biomedical models of disability that locate disability in the deviating and impaired body, cultural and social models see it in a sociocultural environment that disadvantages and suppresses human beings with certain bodies. With this focus on societal structures and processes, however, these models neglect the dimension of individual bodily experience which seems just like the biomedical and the social dimension an irreducible aspect of disability. This paper introduces a biophenomenosociological model to conceptualize disability more comprehensively and with acknowledging its biomedical, its subjective phenomenological bodily as well as its social dimension. Thereby, the model is guided by the well established health sociological distinction between disease, illness and sickness (Hofmann, 2016). The comprehensive model can serve as a framework to compare and combine different approaches to disability from diverse disciplines. Since it can also be operationalized in manifold ways, which means it can serve as the conceptual anchor for diverse measuring instruments, and it enables the collection of varied pieces of data. While elucidating the three stated dimensions of disability, this contribution argues that the conceptualization of this model fosters and promotes the strive for equality, self-determination and inclusion of people with disabilities.