Abstract
This autoethnographic study explores the liminality of navigating academia as both a remote doctoral student and a college instructor living with invisible, fluctuating chronic illnesses. Grounded in standpoint epistemology and the rallying cry of "Nothing About Us, Without Us," the author examines the "Crip Liminality" of occupying a threshold between the able-bodied majority and established disability categories. Through the lens of Spoon Theory and "bodywork," the article details how conditions like Fibromyalgia, POTS, and Interstitial Cystitis disrupt traditional academic rhythms, necessitating remote environments as essential adaptations rather than luxuries. The paper identifies critical gaps in current institutional accommodation models, which often fail to account for unpredictable symptom flux. By analyzing the dual-role experience, the author highlights how disabled researcher positionality fosters deep empathy and epistemic justice, while simultaneously presenting challenges of emotional labor and the psychological costs of cognitive dissonance within an ableist academy.
Recommended Citation
Samuels, Tina Michelle
(2026)
"The Liminal Space of Invisible Disability: An Educator and Doctoral Student Autoethnography,"
Georgia Educational Researcher: Vol. 22:
Iss.
2, Article 4.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gerjournal/vol22/iss2/4