Historically, disability was thought of as being a personal attribute of a human being. For example, one would be considered disabled if one had their left leg amputated. This is consistent with a medical model for understanding disability, and it was the primary conceptualization in most countries until the 1990s, when a more social model began to emerge. The framing of a problem matters because it suggests or limits the potential solutions and interventions. If the problem is a missing left leg and the situation is framed as a tragedy, the logical intervention is charity. If the problem is a missing leg and the situation is framed as a medical issue, the logical intervention is medical treatment. However, if the problem is that someone with such an impairment cannot access a school, for example, the situation is framed as a social issue and the needed intervention is at the level of institutional policy change towards universal design and accessibility. Because after all, in a world full of ramps, a person who uses a wheelchair is not disabled. More info: In a development context, the United Nations also defines disability socially, as the result of interaction between personal impairments and environmental barriers that hinder one’s participation in society. Reference: The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), a 2006 human rights treaty signed by 168 nations including India, led by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.