Social construction of Anangu disability

ABSTRACT: The usual and common-sense definition of disability is based on a medical model that sees disability as a limitation or lack of competence on the part of the individual. This definition fails to acknowledge that in some cultures disability as a concept does not exist. This paper, based on research undertaken in 1994/1995, examines how the social construction of disability among the A n angu of the cross border region of Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory, takes into consideration the important factors of history, culture and language. The theoretical underpinning of the research was symbolic interactionism, which led to collaborative ethnography becoming the methodology employed to collect and analyse the data. The findings of the research indicate that the social construction of disability among the A n angu occurs in three historical phases: the impairment, oppression and empowerment phases. The paper's purpose is to offer service providers to Aboriginal people with disabilities, information that will help them understand some of the attitudes, customs, mores and beliefs of their clientele.