Navigating disabling spaces: challenging ontological norms and the spatialization of difference through ‘Embodied Practices of Mobility’

Abstract

This article draws from diary and interview data to look at the strategic ways in which disabled people use mobile devices to navigate their social and spatial world. The data reveal that space is not passively perceived, but rather actively challenged and reconfigured. The concept of ‘embodied practices of mobility’ is introduced to account for the ways in which disabled people negotiate access and inclusion. By using mobile devices to access information, connect with others and engage in advocacy, participants are contesting spaces that are arranged according to preconceived ontological norms and asserting their embodied presence.

Keywords:

• Disability
• accessibility
• embodiment
• space
• mobility
• mobile devices