Presuming competence was never meant to be conditional. Yet some approaches in our field are quietly recreating the same barriers we set out to dismantle. Families and educators are being told “not yet” when students seek new tools or pathways. This piece calls us back to our foundation: access first, always, and learning environments that adapt to the student—not the other way around.

Presuming competence was never meant to be conditional. Yet some approaches in our field are quietly recreating the same barriers we set out to dismantle. Families and educators are being told “not yet” when students seek new tools or pathways. This piece calls us back to our foundation: access first, always, and learning environments that adapt to the student—not the other way around.

Presuming competence was never meant to be conditional. Yet some approaches in our field are quietly recreating the same barriers we set out to dismantle. Families and educators are being told “not yet” when students seek new tools or pathways. This piece calls us back to our foundation: access first, always, and learning environments that adapt to the student—not the other way around.