Chrononormativity

The way institutions impose normative temporal expectations—standardized timelines, schedules, and paces of development—that shape how bodies and lives are organized and evaluated. In assistive technology contexts, chrononormativity manifests through rigid institutional clocks that dictate when devices are deemed appropriate, when funding cycles open and close, when evaluations are scheduled, and how quickly children are expected to progress. These institutional temporalities rarely align with the developmental needs, daily routines, and embodied experiences of disabled individuals and their families. The mismatch between institutional time and lived time can result in delayed access to critical AT during key developmental periods, creating temporal mismatches that the concept of minor resistance seeks to address.