Establishing a shared understanding of common terms (common ground)
Discrimination or prejudice against people with disabilities, often rooted in the belief that able-bodied individuals are superior.
The practice of designing products, services, and environments that are usable by people with a wide range of abilities, ensuring everyone has equal access to opportunities and experiences.
The process of evaluating products, services, or environments to ensure they are usable and accessible to people with various disabilities, often involving audits, feedback, and user testing.
Adjustment or Accommodation – refers to the necessary changes that can be made, either for ourselves, individually, from an organization or from our employers to make our working situation or our ability to interact for various reasons in a way that acknowledges our barriers and addresses them. Oftentimes, the onus often falls on the marginalized, those impacted with the lack of accommodations to advocate for them rather than the people with the systemic power.
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) – refers to racialized* people generally. This term is a catch all phrase for all racialized people. In the context of global context, this term might be misused because white indigenous* people can use that as reason to come into those spaces and create harm if those spaces are not curated correctly, in general, it’s better to use the more specific, racialized or ethnic identity when referring to an individual or to a group.
Capacity refers to the resources, time, space, and other constraints that impact both individuals and organizations. It encompasses the material realities that shape decision-making and strategic planning.
Capitalism is an exploitative system rooted in hierarchy and the concentration of wealth, prioritizing profits over the well-being of people and the planet. It operates in concert with colonialism and heteropatriarchy to maximize exploitation and enforce systemic harm. Key features of capitalism include reliance on land ownership and privatization, control of the means of production, and exploitation of labor power. All of these systems are incumbent on our differentials and concentration of wealth and resources.
Work that involves taking care of the physical, emotional, and social needs of individuals or communities, often undervalued and disproportionately carried out by women and marginalized groups.
Colonialism – is a system of oppression that is based on exploiting differences when it comes to primarily racialized people. It is the idea that privileges people of the Minority World – their way of being, their language, their culture, their knowledge making and so on. In the same narrative, the Indigenous or colonized culture, language, foods, etc, are not as valuable. This system marginalizes and exploits colonized peoples, viewing them and their traditions as “less than” or exotic, often leading to systemic harm, erasure, and inequity.
Cisheteropatriarchy is a system of oppression that revolves around differences in gender and sexuality, as well as exploiting these differences. It involves centering men (patriarchy), people considered heterosexual and cis (who identify with the body they were born into and the gender associated with it). It speaks to how these three aspects intersect to create complex forms of oppression.
Closing the Loop – a concept I created many years ago – refers to finishing a project, or releasing it, or letting it go in some way, after a period of having too many seeds or projects on the go, in order to release requisite energy and (re)enable focus.
Creative Container is the concept that we take our new ideas, put the structures and space around it to protect the seedling as it grows, and give it the nourishment that it needs to grow and come into fruition. It means protecting the ideas in there or the projects in the early stages so it can grow and thrive to fruition.
The process of undoing the social, political, and economic legacies of colonialism, and reasserting the rights, knowledge, and autonomy of indigenous peoples and marginalized communities.
Creating joyful, meaningful, and enriching moments for people through thoughtful, accessible design, fostering a sense of connection, empowerment, and pleasure.
The fair treatment, access, and opportunities for all individuals, recognizing that people have different needs and circumstances that require tailored approaches to ensure fairness and justice.
An approach to design that prioritizes the needs, experiences, and perspectives of people, ensuring solutions are relevant, accessible, and equitable for those who will use them.
A framework for understanding how multiple social identities (such as race, gender, class, sexuality, and ability) intersect and create overlapping systems of oppression or privilege.
The concept of belonging. Notably, who is who is welcome in a space, who feels psychologically safe for when they show up. This is particularly important for people with more marginalized identities.
Freedom from oppressive systems (such as capitalism, colonialism, ableism, etc.), enabling people to live authentically, freely, and with full access to their rights and potential.
When someone, often from a marginalized background, has direct experience with an issue—not just academic or theoretical knowledge, but understanding shaped by real-life realities.
A concept within white supremacy that positions certain racialized groups—often Asians and sometimes Latine people—above others. This stereotype is used as a wedge between White and Black communities, distracting from systemic racism rather than addressing its root causes.
A system of reciprocal support in which individuals or communities come together to share resources and care for one another, often outside of formal systems of government or corporations.
An umbrella term to describe the vast diversity in how humans process information, communicate, and make meaning of the world around them.
An umbrella term for People of Color, referencing the reality that although People of Colour are often refereed to as ‘Minorities’ in the West, actually make up the majority of the global population.
A term describing a future or an alternate economic system beyond capitalism, which focuses on collaboration, sustainability, and equity rather than profit maximization and exploitation.
A concept and process that restores and nourishes rather than depletes. Unlike systems rooted in capitalism and colonialism, which often lead to exploitation and burnout, a regenerative approach adds nourishment—whether to soil, people, or communities—rehumanizing and supporting long-term well-being.
A framework for understanding how multiple social identities (such as race, gender, class, sexuality, and ability) intersect and create overlapping systems of oppression or privilege.
A balance-focused approach that minimizes waste and extraction, ensuring resources are maintained rather than depleted. While sustainability aims for equilibrium, truly addressing historical exploitation requires moving beyond it toward regeneration.
An approach that recognizes how trauma affects the nervous system, shaping responses like fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. Being trauma-informed means creating psychological safety and considering these impacts in our processes and interactions.
A system where all individuals receive a guaranteed living wage, regardless of employment or socioeconomic status. Trials have shown that when basic needs are met, recipients often start businesses or community projects, fostering collective well-being.
©2024 Anuradha, The Kowtha Constellation