  We formulate a parametrized model of embedded protostellar disks and test its
ability to estimate disk properties by fitting dust-continuum observations. The
main physical assumptions of our model are motivated by a recent theoretical
study of protostellar disk formation; these assumptions include that the disk
should be marginally gravitationally unstable, and that the dominant dust
heating mechanism is internal accretion heating instead of external
protostellar irradiation. These assumptions allow our model to reliably
estimate the disk mass even when the observed emission is optically thick and
to self-consistently determine disk (dust) temperature. Using our model to fit
multi-wavelength observations of 156 disks in the VANDAM Orion survey, we find
that the majority (57%) of this sample can be fit well by our model. Using our
model, we produce new estimates of Orion protostellar disk properties. We find
that these disks are generally warm and massive, with a typical star-to-disk
mass ratio $M_{\rm d}/M_\star = \mathcal O(1)$ in Class 0/I. We also discuss
why our estimates differ from those in previous studies and the implications of
our results on disk evolution and fragmentation.
