The Deficit Model is Dead

The "logical" view of disability is, to put it politely, a crashing bore.

It's a deficit model. A "problem" to be "solved." A box to be ticked on a corporate compliance form, usually filed somewhere between "fire safety" and "quarterly tax returns."

It's all spreadsheets and statistics, completely missing the human element. It misses how people actually behave, focusing on the compliance, not the reality.

The conventional world frames disability as a "lack."

What absolute nonsense.

What if I told you that your "disability" is, in fact, an advantage? Not in the patronising, "aren't-you-brave" sense, but in a purely diagnostic one.

It is a built-in detector for the absurdities, frictions, and illogical barriers that the "normal" world is completely, blissfully blind to.

The Parable of the Curb Cut

Consider the humble curb cut: that dip in the pavement.

The "spreadsheet case" for it was, of course, wheelchair access. A niche compliance issue. A cost. It was seen as an "accommodation" for a tiny fraction of the population.

But what happened the moment they were installed?

The ripple effect was immediate. Everyone started using them. Parents pushing prams. Delivery drivers hauling trolleys. Commuters dragging suitcases. Even joggers, who simply found it less effort.

This is the central point. The wheelchair user was the only one who could clearly articulate the problem: "That six-inch slab of concrete is a massive, stupid point of friction."

The able-bodied person didn't even see it. It was invisible to them.

The curb cut wasn't an "accessibility feature." It was simply a better-designed pavement. A small, contextual tweak, revealed by a specific perspective, that created enormous, disproportionate value for the many.

Your Edge: Seeing the Friction

This is the diagnostic tool that our entrepreneurs at Rise Beyond Barriers possess by default.

The able-bodied world is so accustomed to friction it accepts it as "just the way things are."

The website with the absurdly complex checkout process.

The "child-proof" packaging that is, in reality, "human-proof."

The "push" door that is impossibly heavy.

The app interface that requires five clicks when one would do.

The "logical" business tries to find these problems by running a focus group, perilously believing what people say they want. Or it analyses a spreadsheet to find "optimisations."

Our founders don't need a survey. They live it. They are the ultimate User Experience (UX) experts, not by training, but by necessity.

When you have to navigate a world built on assumptions that don't apply to you, you gain a permanent, built-in detector for the unseen opportunities everyone else is ignoring. You see the curb cuts everywhere.

Stop 'Overcoming,' Start Applying

This is not about "overcoming" anything. That's the wrong frame.

This is about applying your unique perspective.

This is innovation. It's the ability to see a "problem"—a point of profound friction—and recognise it for what it truly is: a staggering business opportunity in disguise.

It's the chance to invent the curb cut that no one else has even noticed is a curb.

The world is drowning in "best practice" and logical, mediocre solutions. What it desperately needs is your perspective. It needs your "battlefield" insight.

Stop listening to what "works." Start trusting the friction. It's telling you precisely where the gold is buried.