Becoming sensory disabled: Exploring self-transformation through rites of passage Anthony Beudaert a, ⁎, Nil Özçağlar-Toulouse a , Meltem Türe b a MERCUR, Université Lille-SKEMA Business School, 59000 Lille, France b MERCUR, SKEMA Business School-Université Lille, 59000 Lille, France abstract article info Article history: Received 1 October 2014 Received in revised form 1 May 2015 Accepted 1 May 2015 Available online xxxx Keywords: Identity Normalcy Sensory disability Transformation Vulnerability Based on Van Gennep's framework of rites of passage, this research examines the self-transformation process of consumers who acquire a sensory disability. The analysis of 15 in-depth interviews reveals a complex three-stage process. With the onset of disability, individuals experience a forced withdrawal from their consumption activi- ties. This withdrawal gives way to liminality of undetermined duration, nurtured by consumers' memories of the past, sufferings in the present, and fears of the future. Consumers achieve self-transformation by attributing new meanings to their consumption. These results have two contributions: (1) the liminal phase of the rite of passage has a multitemporal structure that might inhibit the formation of a new self and (2) redefining the boundaries of normalcy helps consumers achieve self-transformation. © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Consumers with disabilities constitute a significant segment, representing the largest minority group in the United States with nearly 50 million individuals (Brault, 2012). Disability is an important context for “self-transformation” (McCracken, 2008) that often entails vulnera- bility and generates difficulties for consumers' everyday lives (Baker et al., 2002; Kaufman-Scarborough, 2000). However, the literature lacks the identity perspective in disability, falling short of explaining the influence of such life transition on identity or the role of consump- tion in this process. Focusing on accessibility and barriers in the marketplace, existing re- search shows that stigmatization such as discriminatory behavior by in- store employees or the unreachability of goods on shelves hinders the participation of consumers with disabilities in the marketplace (Baker, 2006; Baker et al., 2002; Kaufman-Scarborough, 1999; Kaufman- Scarborough & Baker, 2005). Other studies find that new technologies (e.g., the Internet) can create both improvements and difficulties for consumers with disabilities (Childers & Kaufman-Scarborough, 2009; Kaufman-Scarborough & Childers, 2009). Few studies explore the impact of legislation (e.g., Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990) that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities (Kaufman-Scarborough & Baker, 2005; Stephens & Bergman, 1995). Yet, beyond stigma and accessibility, the literature neglects how consumption contributes to the self-transformation of consumers who acquire a disability. As disability occurs and bodies become “spectacles of otherness” (Garland-Thomson, 1997, p. 8), individuals experience an abnormal, unnatural, and illegitimate condition (Titchkosky & Michalko, 2009) that makes them greatly vulnerable by putting their selves in jeopardy and making them feel out of control (Baker, Gentry, & Rittenburg, 2005). Especially when disability is visible, consumers try to decrease this vulnerability by avoiding the “critical gaze of others” (Pavia & Mason, 2014, p. 481). Adkins and Ozanne (2005) show, for in- stance, that consumers with low literacy act literate to deal with the shame of their inability to read. Thus, the felt vulnerability and con- sumers' efforts to deal with the loss of normalcy can be important for the self-transformation process following the onset of a disability. Tak- ing into account vulnerability and normalcy, and using Van Gennep's (1960) theory of rites of passage, the present research explores con- sumers' self-transformation following the onset of sensory disability and the role of consumption in this process. With the significance of senses for consumption and the popularity of sensory marketing, sensory disability is of specific interest. Sensory marketing has become a growing field of research (Krishna, 2012), supporting the assumption that consumers are endowed with their en- tire sensory capabilities. Retail environments are designed for con- sumers “sighted and visually attuned to labels, colors, lighting, point- of-purchase displays, point-of-sale information, and merchandising” (Baker, 2006, p. 38). Thus, there is still much to learn about how the per- sonal rites of passage of consumers who acquire sensory disabilities shape their identity transformation (Schouten, 1991), and, consequent- ly, their consumption. Using the rites of passage as a theoretical lens and based on qualitative research, this study addresses two questions. What type of self- transformation process do consumers who acquire sensory disabilities go through? How does consumption play out in this self-transformation process? The results delineate the self-transformation of consumers who acquire sensory disabilities as a three-stage process and make two Journal of Business Research xxx (2015) xxx–xxx ⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: +33 6 03 17 11 40. E-mail addresses: beudaert.anthony@gmail.com (A. Beudaert), nil.toulouse@univ-lille2.fr (N. Özçağlar-Toulouse), meltem.ture@skema.edu (M. Türe). JBR-08488; No of Pages 8 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.07.020 0148-2963/© 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Business Research Please cite this article as: Beudaert, A., et al., Becoming sensory disabled: Exploring self-transformation through rites of passage, Journal of Business Research (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.07.020