Ambiguity and difference: families with dwarf children

The social complexities of dwarfism differ from those of other conditions included under the rubric of physical disability because of the historical mystique of dwarfism and the fact that most dwarfs do not have severe physical restrictions on their activities. The ambiguities around being a dwarf in American society foster ambivalence and multiple perceptions and understandings of daily life experiences for parents and their dwarf children. This paper will examine areas in the child's career in which these ambiguities are played out. The data were gathered through interviews with 25 families, and through attendance at meetings of Parents' Groups of Little People of America from 1976 to 1987.