Interdependence

A framework in disability studies that recognises all people — disabled and non-disabled — as fundamentally reliant on others and on social infrastructure, challenging the Western ideal of individual independence as the highest form of agency. In accessibility design, interdependence reframes the goal from eliminating the need for human help to supporting dignified, equitable, and reciprocal relationships between people. Technology designed with interdependence in mind enhances collaborative interactions rather than seeking to replace them entirely with autonomous solutions.