This study explores how 15 people suffering from Oligodactyly (a condition of having fewer than five fingers or toes) in the Village of Ulutaue, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, have constructed the meaning of their ailments and how they have communicated with people without disabilities around them in their daily lives. The study uses a social construction perspective and a symbolic interactionist perspective, with in-depth interviews as the research method. The findings reveal that the Oligodactyly sufferers have considered their condition in terms of having a different body, a body cursed by God, and the body as God's bounty. They have been abandoned and discriminated against by their immediate families as well as people outside their families, creating difficulties for them to survive within society and be free from their existing agony.

·    The study explores how 15 people with Oligodactyly (fewer than 5 fingers/toes) in Ulutaue Village, Indonesia have constructed the meaning of their condition and communicated with non-disabled people

·    The study uses social construction and symbolic interactionist perspectives, with in-depth interviews as the method

·    The Oligodactyly sufferers viewed their condition as having a different body, a body cursed by God, or the body as God's bounty

· They have faced abandonment and discrimination from their families and the community, making it difficult for them to survive and be free from their suffering.

The Oligodactyly sufferers under this study have constructed the meaning of their ailments in different ways. Some sufferers viewed their defected body just as a different body, while others considered their deformed hands and feet as God’s curse, and still others regarded their ailments as God’s bounty. Some sufferers still regretted their unlucky fate deeply at the time of the research, while others saw some blessings behind the ailments.

In terms of gender, the female sufferers seemed to suffer from Oligodactyly psychologically more than the male sufferers due the stigma attributed by nondisabled people. Women in the village of Ulutaue were more dependent on men and on the family, rather than the other way around. Men suffering from Oligodactyly were more likely to marry nondisabled women, especially if the men had expertise that could be used to maintain the family. In terms of age, the younger the sufferers, especially those who were still single, the more intense the suffering. Simply put, the younger sufferers seem to be more depressed than the older ones. This tendency is partly due to the fact that the younger sufferers had greater needs to be accepted by their peers, and if possible, as prospective spouses. It is our assumption that if the sufferers had received optimal psychological and emotional support from their immediate families and relatives, they would have had more positive self-concepts and less negative reactions toward nondisabled people.

The Oligodactyly sufferers of the study interacted in many different ways of communication with people around them, although most of them indicated a similar tendency, that is, a withdrawal from others’ presence and their preference to be left alone. They were aware that they were people to be avoided by people without disabilities in the daily social intercourse. The research has found that the dominant negative messages the sufferers received and internalized from their immediate family members, relatives and nonfamily members have weakened their spirit to survive.

In this research the social construction theory and the theory of symbolic interaction has been useful in exploring the experiences of the Oligodactyly sufferers. To some degree, the way the sufferers have defined their physical

condition and the way they looked at themselves have been molded by the way others have treated them, although some of the sufferers have redefined their illness and their self-concept in a more creative way, especially those who have considered their illness as God’s bounty.

Many people in the village considered the sufferers as people always in need that should be facilitated by others. This was not always the case. The crux of the problem is that the labels given by family members, nonfamily members, authorities and journalists, that the sufferers were “useless people,” “disgusting people,” “a social burden,” or “the people with lobster claws” have created a vicious circle, or in a more scientific sense, “self-fulfilling prophecy,” a prediction that becomes a reality because, whether we realize it or not what we believe will become a reality (Verderber, 1996:37). Using Lemert’s perspective (cited in Musgrove, 1977:23), “In more extreme labeling theory the process of becoming deviant appears ineluctable; deviants lose individuality and become like empty organisms who are successfully labeled by others”. Thus, the Oligodactyly sufferers became inferior and powerless because they had been labeled as such by others. Put differently, they were suffering from a social stigma, that is, an attribute that is deeply discrediting, reducing bearer “from a whole and usual person to a tainted, discounted one” (Goffman, 1963:3). In line with Goffman’s perspective, this stigma is a spoiled identity based on feelings about self in relationships with nondisabled people.

This research has dealt with few aspects of the Oligodactyly sufferers’ life experiences. Further studies with more sufferers will hopefully bring about more conclusive results. One of the limitations of this study is that it is based on a relatively few (15) sufferers from diverse (gender and age) backgrounds, although they were interviewed thoroughly, that it is somewhat risky to come up with generalizations.

Many other aspects are worth investigating, one of which is how the sufferers have presented themselves to neutralize the stigma they have received from other people, especially strangers. It has been found, for example, that they have used certain models of sandals to hide their deformed feet. So, using a dramaturgical perspective, we can explore what verbal and nonverbal tactics have been employed by the Oligodactyly sufferers to minimize the feeling of shame or inferiority before others or to cultivate a better image in front of others. We also wonder how the stigma associated with Oligodactyly differ from stigma associated with other defects or diseases or whether there are different kinds of stigma as felt by Oligodactyly sufferers. The answers to these questions are beyond our discussion at this time.