Residual Category

A concept from Susan Leigh Star describing the "other" or "not applicable" categories in classification systems — the bucket where anything that does not fit predefined types gets placed. Individuals sorted into residual categories become illegible to the systems that grant access to resources, resulting in exclusion and diminished support. In accessibility work, people with non-standard, fluctuating, or multiple disabilities frequently fall into residual categories in university accommodation systems, workplace HR forms, and public services — a structural cause of denied access.