Re‐Framing Master Narratives of Dis/ability through an Affective Lens: Sophia Cruz’s LD Story at Her Intersections

Abstract

Learning disabilities (LD) researchers have produced a knowledge base about the academic side of LD. A gap exists concerning the experiences of individuals with LD, particularly their feeling‐meaning‐making about having LDs. Based on a three‐year qualitative study using critical ethnographic methods, I center Sophia Cruz’s experiences with LD and the label. Sophia experienced the hegemony of smartness and disability micro‐aggressions, and voiced the idea that LD is a complex multifaceted construct. I discuss implications for the LD field.