Exigency of onto-epistemic dispositions of ableism towards alternative avenues for inclusivity

The dominant frameworks on disability rights and inclusive education rely on ontological and epistemological assumptions about human value, embodiment and capacity that are insufficiently examined. These assumptions can reproduce ableist norms even in inclusion-oriented policy frameworks. In this article, I argue that ableism operates not only as a structural or attitudinal phenomenon, but also as an onto-epistemic disposition: a set of metaphysical and epistemological commitments that shape forms of being and knowing in educational, social and policy contexts. Through a synthesis of critical disability studies, decolonial theory, phenomenology and African relational philosophies, the article examines how normative assumptions about autonomy, rationality and capacity continue to inform global conceptualisations of inclusivity. Drawing on southern African epistemic resources as philosophical interventions with broader conceptual significance, the argument reframes personhood, embodiment and relationality in ways that open alternative approaches to disability and human difference. The article proposes five principles for reimagining inclusivity: relational personhood, pluriversal epistemologies, embodied multiplicities, interdependence and decolonial humanism. These principles provide conceptual resources for global disability studies and inclusive education to reconsider prevailing assumptions about participation, capacity and belonging, while remaining attentive to tensions, exclusions and differences in all philosophical traditions. The article concludes by calling for an expanded understanding of humanity capable of sustaining more inclusive educational and social futures.