How societies conceptualize disability shapes assistance policy design and implementation. This paper traces paradigm shifts in disability studies from the medical model through the social model to the social-ecological model, examining their distinct orientations toward individual deficits, environmental barriers, and person-environment interactions. Drawing on Foucault’s power-knowledge analytics and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, the paper develops an “Ecological Empowerment” framework that emphasizes simultaneous capability development, opportunity expansion, and structural transformation across multiple system levels. Analysis reveals that China’s disability assistance mechanisms require fundamental reorientation: replacing charitable relief with rights-based protection, shifting from individual rehabilitation to environmental modification, and moving beyond single-sector interventions toward coordinated governance. These theoretical insights offer guidance for deepening existing policies.

Lin Du, Wei Du. Beyond Medical and Social Models: Proposing Ecological Empowerment for China’s Disability Assistance Mechanisms. Academic Journal of Medicine & Health Sciences (2026), Vol. 7, Issue 1: 81-86. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJMHS.2026.070112.

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