Disability identity and allyship in rehabilitation psychology: Sit, stand, sign, and show up.

In this conceptual paper, we framed disability in terms of both the medical and social models and argues that thinking about disability identity requires attention to the social model of disability. This attention is important, because it allows practitioners to think about themselves as allies to a particular community, rather than experts who must only "fix" clients' disabilities to elicit positive identity development. This shift toward allyship requires attention, engagement, and openness to see clients simultaneously as individuals and as members of a powerful, diverse community with a unique identity experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).