Theory of Change

An explicit articulation of how and why a planned intervention is expected to produce its intended outcomes - typically expressed as a chain linking inputs to activities, outputs, short- and long-term outcomes, and the assumptions connecting each step. A theory of change makes implicit designer reasoning visible and testable: if we provide X for users facing Y, then we expect outcome Z because of mechanism M. In accessibility research, articulating a theory of change is a useful discipline because many assistive-technology projects move directly from a perceived problem (deficit framing) to a technical solution without specifying the mechanism, the affected stakeholders, or the social context in which the technology will sit. Reviews like Ibrahim et al.'s scoping review of AI and AAC use the theory-of-change frame to surface implicit assumptions in the literature.