The Three Praxes Framework - A Thematic Review and Map of Social Accessibility Research

Paper Title

The Three Praxes Framework - A Thematic Review and Map of Social Accessibility Research

Publication Info

• Topic area: Social accessibility research and its integration across theoretical, relational, and constructive practices.
• Keywords: Social accessibility, assistive technology, accessibility research, disability studies, epistemology, ecosystems, artifacts, reflexive praxis, HCI, integration.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Social accessibility research operates across multiple domains—critical theory, artifact construction, and ecosystem analysis—but lacks a systematic understanding of how these modes of practice relate to each other. This disconnection risks leaving insights as academic exercises or reinforcing existing barriers.
• Significance: Addressing this fragmentation is crucial for creating integrated research practices that can better address systemic barriers and improve lived experiences for disabled individuals.
• Motivation and related work: Prior work has introduced valuable theoretical inputs, frameworks, and critical lenses (e.g., Disability Studies, interdependence) but has focused on individual projects rather than field-level patterns. Existing methods like systematic literature reviews and bibliometric analyses lack the depth to analyze theoretical commitments or knowledge-construction practices across the field.

Solution

• Proposed approach: The Three Praxes Framework, which organizes social accessibility research into three sites of practice (Artifact, Ecosystem, Epistemology), two cross-cutting stances (Temporal Orientation and Stakeholder Focus), and a reflexive praxis cycle that models how insights can circulate between praxes.
• Novelty:
  1. A qualitative synthesis of 90 papers, mapping six thematic territories and their relationships.
  2. Introduction of the Three Praxes Framework to analyze and integrate research practices.
  3. A call for cross-praxes integration to bridge gaps between artifact-building, ecosystem analysis, and epistemological inquiry.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  1. Systematic literature review of 605 papers from 2011–2025, filtered to a theoretically rich subset of 90 papers.
  2. Constructivist grounded theory analysis to derive 362 concepts, 46 codes, and six thematic territories.
  3. Mapping thematic territories to three praxes and identifying cross-cutting dimensions (Temporal Orientation and Stakeholder Focus).

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • Six thematic territories: Communication as World-Building, Critical Making Practices, Access Ecologies, Methodological Justice, Identity Sovereignty Complex, and Algorithmic Disability Encounters.
  • Three praxes: Artifact (constructive work), Ecosystem (relational work), and Epistemology (critical work).
  • Two cross-cutting dimensions: Temporal Orientation (remedial, adaptive, generative) and Stakeholder Focus (individual, network, societal).
• Advantage over baselines:
  • The framework highlights missed connections between praxes and provides a structured model for integration, addressing gaps in prior field-level analyses.
  • Examples of integration (e.g., DREEM project) demonstrate how recursive cycles across praxes can generate more impactful research.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Analysis of 90 papers from premier HCI venues using grounded theory techniques.
  • Case studies illustrating cross-praxis integration and missed connections.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Focus on English-language publications in HCI venues may exclude relevant work from other disciplines or regions.
  • Framework validation in broader contexts (e.g., Global South, other accessibility subfields) is needed.
  • Future work includes workshops with researchers and community partners, development of practical tools (e.g., worksheets, rubrics), and longitudinal studies of integration patterns.

Summary

The Three Praxes Framework provides a systematic way to analyze and integrate social accessibility research across three praxes: Artifact, Ecosystem, and Epistemology. By mapping six thematic territories and identifying two cross-cutting dimensions (Temporal Orientation and Stakeholder Focus), the framework highlights opportunities for cross-praxis integration and recursive cycles of building, relating, and theorizing. While the field currently exhibits fragmentation, examples of integrated research (e.g., DREEM project) demonstrate the potential for transformative practices. Future work aims to validate the framework across disciplines and contexts, enabling more impactful and inclusive accessibility research.