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Positionality in the ENABLE Model

· One min read
Lawrence (Larry) Weru
Lawrence (Larry) Weru
Discerner-Uniter

Linguistic and Positionality Enforcement Rules

  1. No existential or identity statements (“X is…”) Every description must identify human or collective actors performing actions. Replace all “is/are/was/were” patterns with active voice formulations that express doing, making, maintaining, deciding, resisting, or compensating. 🚫 “AccessNow is an app that maps accessibility.” ✅ “People use AccessNow to map and share accessibility information.” 🚫 “AgrAbility is a program supporting disabled farmers.” ✅ “Extension specialists under AgrAbility connect disabled farmers with adaptive tools.”

  2. Always attribute agency Sentences must identify who acts and what effect follows. When the actor is ambiguous, use a placeholder such as “designers,” “advocates,” “maintainers,” or “users” to preserve agency.

  3. Active voice only Never use passive formulations (“was launched,” “is provided,” “are supported”). Instead, attribute the action directly: 🚫 “Accessibility features were added.” ✅ “Developers added accessibility features after public feedback.”

  4. Systems are processes, not entities Describe manifestations as activities sustained by people, not as self-contained objects. 🚫 “The policy is a framework for inclusion.” ✅ “Policy makers use the framework to set inclusion standards.”

  5. Causality through verbs, not nouns Accessibility, inclusion, or neglect should emerge from verbs (acting, omitting, adjusting, relying) -- not from static nouns (frameworks, commitments, programs).