Liberatory access

An approach to accessibility that goes beyond inclusion and assimilation to challenge the broader conditions of ableism and exclusion that create inaccessibility in the first place. Coined by disability justice activist Mia Mingus, liberatory access strives not just to help disabled people "squeeze into ablebodied people's world" but to transform structures, institutions, and norms so that disability is valued rather than merely tolerated. In technology design, liberatory access means not only making existing tools accessible but also questioning whether the tools themselves embed ableist assumptions, working toward sustainable structural change, and increasing disabled people's autonomy, power, and agency. This contrasts with accommodation-based approaches that leave underlying ableist systems intact.