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‘It’s not a part of me, but it is what it is’: the struggle of becoming en-wheeled after spinal cord injury

Monforte, Javier; Smith, Brett; Pérez-Samaniego, Víctor

‘It’s not a part of me, but it is what it is’: the struggle of becoming en-wheeled after spinal cord injury Thumbnail


Authors

Javier Monforte

Víctor Pérez-Samaniego



Abstract

Purpose: Many people who experience spinal cord injury become long-term wheelchair users. This article addresses the process of becoming en-wheeled through the case example of a disabled man called Patrick. Design: An intrinsic case study informed by posthumanist developments was used. Within this design, Patrick and his manual wheelchair were the entangled participants of the inquiry. Methods: Interviews and fieldwork observation with Patrick were conducted. Qualitative data were analysed using the posthumanist notion of ‘assemblages’. Results: The results illuminate Patrick’s struggle of negotiating a new embodied selfhood that includes the wheelchair. Patrick engaged in ableist rehabilitation after spinal cord injury to recuperate the capacity to walk and break his connection with the wheelchair. After extensive treatment of his body, he reluctantly assumed his cyborg or posthuman condition. Conclusion: The analysis and discussion resulted in a theoretical frame that presents the notions of humanist and posthumanist enwheelment as two directions of a continuum. The paper offers a useful tool for understanding and addressing enwheelment plus other cyborgification processes. We advocate for its acceptance into the disability studies and rehabilitation practice repertoire.

Citation

Monforte, J., Smith, B., & Pérez-Samaniego, V. (2021). ‘It’s not a part of me, but it is what it is’: the struggle of becoming en-wheeled after spinal cord injury. Disability and Rehabilitation, 43(17), 2447-2453. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2019.1702725

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Dec 5, 2019
Online Publication Date Dec 22, 2019
Publication Date 2021
Deposit Date Jan 9, 2020
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Disability and Rehabilitation
Print ISSN 0963-8288
Electronic ISSN 1464-5165
Publisher Taylor and Francis Group
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 43
Issue 17
Pages 2447-2453
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2019.1702725

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