Ability-Based Design

A design philosophy that focuses on what users can do rather than what they cannot, adapting systems to leverage each individual's specific abilities. Instead of designing for a "typical" user and then adding accessibility accommodations, ability-based design starts from the premise that users have diverse abilities and that systems should sense, detect, or be informed of those abilities and adapt accordingly. This approach shifts responsibility from the user (who must adapt to the system) to the system (which adapts to the user), supporting personalisation across the full spectrum of human motor, sensory, and cognitive abilities.