No laughing matter: medical and social experiences of restricted growth

Abstract

People with restricted growth have liminal status in the disability community. Because people with these conditions appear to live normal lives, they do not always define themselves as disabled or participate in the disability community, nor are they always identified as disabled people by others. This paper reports from a project seeking to fill the research gap around the social and medical impact of skeletal dysplasia, finding that adults with restricted growth experience a range of difficulties. These include medical problems, social stigma, and employment disadvantage. For these reasons, it makes sense to consider this group amongst the wider disabled population.

Keywords:

• restricted growth
• models of disability
• impairment
• identity
• stigma
• employment