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.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONEnwheelment -the process of becoming one with the wheelchair - is relevant to people after SCI (or other impairments).The notions of humanist and posthumanist enwheelment are developed and presented as two ends of a continuum.Rehabilitation workers should be mindful of the complexities of cyborgification to avoid ableism and help people flourishing within and beyond recovery.
Keywords: Assistive technology; assemblages; connectivity; cyborgification; humanism; posthuman disability studies; wheelchair use.