What are the merits and shortcomings of the medical and social models of disability?

The social model of disability regards society as the source of a person's so-called disability. In other words, society is often organized in a way that prevents a "disabled" person from achieving his or her full potential, as society tends to regard qualities that could prove advantageous in other types of societies as disabilities. For example, according to this model, having autism is only a disability in a society that places barriers on what people with autism can do and in a society that does not recognize the benefits that autism can confer to people. The merits of this approach is that it recognizes the ways in which people with different types of disabilities can contribute to society. However, this model may overlook the ways in which an individual can use different types of help to learn how to function more effectively in society.
The medical model looks at disabilities as impairments that need to be corrected. For example, a person with autism in this model would be required to learn skills and behaviors that enable him or her to function as a "normal" person in society. This model can be helpful in providing someone with assistance in learning how to cope better in society. However, this approach can also limit a person's opportunities and can fail to recognize the ways in which he or she can contribute his or her talents to society. For example, in the medical model, a person with autism would have to learn how to function like other people; this process might limit what this person could contribute to society.