1st Edition
Disability, Society and Culture Understanding Models of Disability
Acknowledgements
Author biographic statements
Prologue: ‘Everything’ – an artist’s journey with disability
Michael Miocevich
Chapter 1: An introduction to learning about models of disability
Katie Ellis and Gwyneth Peaty
Chapter 2: The medical model of disability
Jennifer McKellar
Chapter 3: The tragedy model of disability
Katie Ellis and Jennifer McKellar
Chapter 4: The social model of disability
Hersinta and Kelly Moes
Chapter 5: The cultural model of disability
Kim Cousins, Kai-Ti Kao and Katie Ellis
Chapter 6: The human rights model of disability
Maria Ionita
Chapter 7: Critical Disability Studies (CDS)
Kelly Moes and Chloe T. Rattray
Chapter 8: The affirmation model of disability
Achala K. Dissanayake, Kelly Moes and Jordan Alice Fyfe
Chapter 9: Conclusion
Mike Kent, Kelly Moes, Katie Ellis, Jennifer McKellar and Gwyneth Peaty
Epilogue: A crip time-space odyssey: A bendy journey thinking about, through and with disability
Kelly Moes
Glossary
Index
Biography
Katie Ellis is Professor in Internet Studies and Director of the Centre for Culture and Technology at Curtin University. Her research is located at the intersection of media access and representation. She is the author or editor of 19 books on the topic of disability, the media and popular culture including most recently with Mike Kent and Tama Leaver, Gaming Disability (2023) and Disability and Digital Television Cultures (2019) and with Mick Broderick, Trauma and Disability in Mad Max: Beyond the Road Warrior’s Fury (2019).
Jennifer McKellar is an academic and researcher whose work focuses on inclusivity. Her work supports health and aged care in multicultural communities, as well as the development and expansion of critical disability studies as an academic discipline. She contributed to the Routledge International Handbook of Critical Disability Studies (2025) and was the lead author on the paper ‘Governance in Social Research: Advancing Inclusive Approaches for Marginalised Communities’ (2025) in the Australian Journal of Social Issues.
Gwyneth Peaty is a Learning Designer for the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) and a research fellow in the Centre for Culture and Technology (CCAT) at Curtin University. Her research focus includes popular culture, technology, disability, horror, and the Gothic. Gwyneth is the reviews editor for the Australasian Journal of Popular Culture.
Mike Kent is Professor and Head of School for Media, Creative Arts and Social Enquiry at Curtin University. His research focus is on people with disabilities and their use of, and access to, information and communication technology and the internet. His recent publications include the Routledge International Handbook of Critical Disability Studies (2025), edited with Katie Ellis and Kim Cousins, and Gaming Disability (2023), edited with Katie Ellis and Tama Leaver.
