Epistemic Contingency

A concept from disability studies scholar Rod Michalko describing the start of acquiring a visual disability as an ongoing negotiation of ways of knowing. Blind epistemology — ways of knowing as a blind person — is fluid and relational, shaped by objects, environments, memories, and other people. This contrasts with sighted epistemology, which is dependent on vision. The concept highlights that knowledge and understanding are not fixed but continuously negotiated, particularly for people navigating the world without sight.