The purpose of this study is to introduce social model of disability which has been developed in the UK and to search its implication on Korea disability society. Social model of disability considers disability as \'the results of social failure which is unable to meet the needs of disabled people. M, Oliver standing from the perspective of political economy is in its position and called it social model of disability in contrast to individual model of disability. However, it is based on material viewpoints so that other perspectives such as \'idealism\' and \'social nominal standpoints\' have argued its short points which overlooked the aspects of culture and reinterpretation of physical/mental impairments.
The Implications of this study can be categorised by three viewpoints: policy, implementation and methodology. First, with regard to policy aspect, this study provides tools to analyse disability policy in Korea currently and historically from the perspective of social model of disability. Secondly, it provides disability service centres and organisation implement their programme tools to self-assess their duties if they are based on disabled people\'s needs rather than provider-oriented perspective as the extension of government policy paradigm. thirdly, it notifies that academic researches have failed to accommodate the voices of disabled people, particularly people with learning disabilities with a viewpoint of self-representation which is based on social model of disability.
However, notwithstanding these implications, this study has innately weakpoints in that it does not include administrative model which can explain why and how welfare states manage welfare policy for disabled people within the capacity of welfare budget which should be sustainable and manageable. The discussion in this study too simplified the perspective of disability by omitting the discussion of administrative model, as a result.
Key words: physical/mental impairments, social model of disability, individual model of disability, cultural aspects of disability, sociological approach of impairments