Third Wave Accessibility

An approach to accessibility that considers the full context of people's lives rather than focusing narrowly on task completion or interface design. Third wave accessibility recognizes that technology use is embedded in social, cultural, and emotional contexts, and that people with disabilities use technology not just for functional needs but also for entertainment, leisure, social participation, and self-expression. This perspective calls for designing with and for the full life cycle of technology use, including setup, configuration, maintenance, and lived experience.