The more I use the technology, I know what I’m capable of doing’: Access and the discourse of capacity

Abstract

The concept of access has remained an important organizing logic within the education of students with disabilities. In this paper, we use spatial theory to explore the capability of technology to make spaces accessible for Maria, a high school user of assistive technology, who is labeled intellectually disabled. In investigating her technology as a means for greater access, we shift attention from the capability of technological tools to the significance of the discursive context in creating (in)accessible spaces. Using concepts of Firstspace, Secondspace and Thirdspace epistemologies (Soja 1996) we identify how differing conceptions of Maria’s capacity as a learner produced varied meanings of disability. Such conceptions precluded Maria’s ‘access knowledge’ (Hamraie 2017) while upholding assumptions of independence that were premised on unmediated bodily capacity. We suggest that accessibility may be understood as a socio-spatial phenomenon; we conclude by providing implications for practitioners when supporting technology use by students labeled intellectually disabled.