Equity: What Model Should We Use When We Talk About Autism?

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Kintzinger, R. (2021). Equity: What Model Should We Use When We Talk About Autism? Canadian Journal of Autism Equity, 1(1), 32-39. https://doi.org/10.15173/cjae.v1i1.4982

Publication date: 8 Nov 2021 Added to AutiHub: 12 Aug 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
1
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 1 (100.0%)
  1. Rebekah Kintzinger *

Abstract

In the Canadian disability rights movement, with regards to autism specifically, there has been a shift towards recognizing what is called a social model of disability. Through this movement, there has been a desire to incorporate that model into practice in governments, institutions, and healthcare. This desire also stems from advocate-centric and first-voice communities, where disabilities like autism are not viewed through a deficit-based lens. This article aims to discuss the often polarizing social and medical models of disability, comparing their uses in the disability world while weighing their respective benefits. Finally, an alternative model of disability that intersects these models is discussed as an alternative. This model is called the International Classification of Functioning, which recognizes three levels that impair a disabled person: the body, the person, and the environment. It is from this focus that policy can be developed to answer the calls of the pan-disability movement; to provide equitable changes across services and domains that are rightly deserved for Autistic and disabled people.

Bibliography cited by this reference

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Bibliography inclusion overview

These indicators describe the cited bibliography imported for this publication. Cited-reference metrics use the cited-reference total as denominator. Cited-author metrics state whether they use all cited-author occurrences or only occurrences linked to authors already integrated in the AutiHub database. They use cached links between cited authors and authors integrated in the AutiHub database. Last computed: 16 Aug 2026 11:31.

Cited references
11
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
2 / 11 (18.2%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
3 / 37 (8.1%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 3 / 11 (27.3%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 3 / 36 (8.3%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
11 / 37 (29.7%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 10 / 36 (27.8%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
8 / 11 (72.7%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 8 / 37 (21.6%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 7 / 10 (70.0%).
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