Cripepistemology

A framework recognizing that disability itself is a valuable way of knowing about the world — that disabled people acquire deep, embodied knowledge from their experiences navigating inaccessible environments, using assistive technologies, and perceiving the world differently. Cripepistemology challenges dominant perspectives on who has authority and expertise about disability, arguing that disabled people's situated knowledge should be centered in research, design, and policy. For example, a wheelchair user's years of daily experience gives them knowledge about "very subtle differences" that non-users cannot perceive, and a Deaf person's navigation of hearing-centric businesses reveals accessibility gaps invisible to hearing people. This knowledge is both individual and collective — shared through disabled communities to form repositories of crip knowledge.