Exploring Disability: Liminal Phase to Stable Identity

Abstract: Disability is often perceived to be a physical limitation of a person, as stereotypical tropes in the representation of disability in literature suggest. Unlike the view of disability as a misfortune and alarming condition which should be overcome, this paper compares disability as a threshold phase, either between being an able-bodied person and becoming a differently abled individual or a temporary phase until one realises one’s potential and abilities. Thus, disability is not perceived as a physical limitation, but rather as mental, cognitive confusion about one’s ability and identity as they become aware of society’s biased, ableist perceptions. Using the theory of liminality as stated by Victor Turner and Arnold van Gennep, disability could be compared to the liminal phase of an individual’s life during which their status in hierarchy gets suspended until they enter the next phase to achieve a new identity and position. Analysis of multimodal elements in Sriram Jagannathan’s Indian graphic narratives, Mai and Grit, life stories of individuals who became disabled in accidents and later overcame the trauma to realise their abilities, highlight passage of protagonists through the three phases of liminality: separation, transition and incorporation. Therefore, the analysis concludes that disability is a liminal phase and identity crisis due to internalisation of prevalent ableist misconceptions and related trauma faced by disabled individuals and caretakers, gets solved as they enter the post-liminal phase to become differently-abled individuals with a stable identity and power.

Keywords: disability, liminal, multimodal elements, ableist misconception, identity crisis