Unidirectional Support

A pattern of assistance in which support flows in only one direction—from a helper to a recipient—without opportunities for feedback, mutual contribution, or reciprocal engagement. In disability contexts, unidirectional support characterizes many accommodation models where disabled people are positioned as passive recipients of services rather than active participants. This pattern can undermine the autonomy and self-efficacy of the person receiving support while creating unsustainable psychological burden on helpers who receive no feedback on the effectiveness of their assistance. Shifting from unidirectional to bidirectional or interdependent support models is a key goal of collaborative approaches to accessibility.