Editing Social model of disability (section)

== Economic aspects ==
The social model also relates to economic empowerment, proposing that people can be disabled by a lack of resources to meet their needs.<ref name=":0" /> For example, a disabled person may need support services to be able to participate fully in society, and can become disabled if society cuts access to those support services, perhaps in the name of [[Austerity|government austerity]] measures.

The social model addresses other issues, such as the underestimation of the potential of disabled people to contribute to society and add economic value to society if they are given equal rights and equally suitable facilities and opportunities as others. Economic research on companies that attempt to accommodate disability in their workforce suggest they [[Return on Disability Index|outperform competitors]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/node/21562229 |date=8 September 2012 |title=Disability and business: The new green |newspaper=The Economist |access-date=26 April 2015 |archive-date=27 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627100253/http://www.economist.com/node/21562229 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In Autumn 2001, the UK Office for National Statistics identified that approximately one-fifth of the working-age population was disabled, equating to an estimated 7.1 million disabled people, compared to an estimated 29.8 million nondisabled people. This analysis also provided insight into some of the reasons why disabled people were not in the labor market, such as that the reduction in disability benefits in entering the labor market would not make it worthwhile to enter into employment. A three-pronged approach was suggested: "incentives to work via the tax and benefit system, for example through the Disabled Person's Tax Credit; helping people back into work, for example via the New Deal for Disabled People; and tackling discrimination in the workplace via anti-discrimination policy. Underpinning this are the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 and the Disability Rights Commission."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Allan |last2=Twomey |first2=Breda |title=Labour market experiences of people with disabilities |journal=Labour Market Trends |volume=110 |issue=8 |date=August 2002 |pages=415–427 |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/escoe-website/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/12151642/Labour-Market-Trends-Aug-2002.pdf |access-date=5 October 2020 |archive-date=6 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006191042/https://s3.amazonaws.com/escoe-website/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/12151642/Labour-Market-Trends-Aug-2002.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Canada]] and the [[United States]] have operated under the premise that social assistance benefits should not exceed the amount of money earned through labour in order to give citizens an [[incentive]] to search for and maintain [[employment]]. This has led to widespread [[poverty]] amongst disabled citizens. In the 1950s, disability pensions were established and included various forms of direct economic assistance; however, compensation was low. Since the 1970s, both governments have viewed unemployed, disabled citizens as excess labor due to continuous high unemployment rates and have made minimal attempts to increase employment, keeping disabled people at poverty-level incomes due to the 'incentive' principle. Poverty is the most debilitating circumstance disabled people face, resulting in the inability to afford proper [[Medicine|medical]], [[Technology|technological]] and other assistance necessary to participate in society.<ref>.{{cite book|last=Wendell|first=Wendell|url=http://moodle.fhs.cuni.cz/pluginfile.php/19118/mod_resource/content/0/Wendell_Social_construction.pdf|title=The Social Construction of Disability|publisher=Routledge Taylor & Francis Group|year=1996|pages=60|access-date=18 October 2021|archive-date=18 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018064934/http://moodle.fhs.cuni.cz/pluginfile.php/19118/mod_resource/content/0/Wendell_Social_construction.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>