Abstract
Worldwide, one in seven people have disabilities. In order for them to achieve emancipation, it is essential that their identity is recognized. This was a qualitative, descriptive study based on the analysis of oral reports regarding the life trajectory of a physically disabled person. Affected by post-poliomyelitis syndrome and relying on a wheelchair, this person is understood here as an emblematic subject. Our goal was to use this narrative as a means of understanding how one’s environment builds an identity and produces emancipatory metamorphoses. The identity-metamorphosis-emancipation syntagm was chosen as a theoretical apparatus. Our results revealed several aspects of the individual’s life, discussed separately and structured in a timeline to facilitate data visualization and analysis. Although the subject has assumed several personas during her life trajectory, she is unable to emancipate herself due to the maintenance of certain stigma-reproducing structures that make it difficult – or even impossible – for her to recognize her identity.
Disabled persons; Personal autonomy; Social stigma
