Abstract

This article scrutinizes Padma Venkatraman’s A Time to Dance through the framework of intersectionality, the social model of disability, and the affirmative model of disability to unveil the complex sociocultural dynamics contended by disabled individuals in their journey of empowerment and resilience. The thesis primarily centers on the protagonist Veda, delineating how her passion for Bharatanatyam as a classical Indian dancer transforms into a site of struggle against societal expectations after her physical loss. By applying an intersectional perspective, the article explores how the protagonist deals with multiple forms of oppression, such as ableism, class struggles, disability, and gender norms. The article further employs the social model of disability, underscoring how Veda’s challenges are not rooted in her inability but in societal restrictions. The expectation from her family to discontinue dancing reflects society’s restricted perception of disability. Additionally, the article integrates the affirmative model of disability, which stresses embracing disability as a valued aspect of identity rather than a limitation. Veda defies these limitations and asserts her autonomy by reinventing the meaning of being a prosthetic-limb dancer. Her experience shows how physical limitations do not generate crippling situations; rather, discrimination and prejudice do. By employing the selected perspectives, the research highlights Veda’s ability to resist societal expectations, gender norms, and ableism, showcasing the transformational power of dismantling social obstacles. The link between resistance and the affirmative model of disability reflects how dismissing negative attitudes toward disability empowers individuals like Veda to regain autonomy and oppose discriminatory standards of society.