ABSTRACT
In this chapter, disability identity is analyzed in the context of the village environment where women with disabilities and their families live. From the villagers’ perspective, disability identity can be interpreted as a demographic identification and zaonie (extreme misfortune), which probably arouses their sympathy, hence fostering a supportive environment for these women. As for women with disabilities and their families, accepting disability as an unavoidable life event, interpreting it as their fate, explaining it in terms of superstitions and a fairy tale help convince them to live with disability identity positively. Although disability identity is completely visible in the village environment, women with disabilities and their family members still need to manage it considering the need to make compensations and sustain family reputation. In contemporary rural China, villagers’ attitudes towards people with disabilities are experiencing subtle changes due to modernization, urbanization and the adoption of market economy. These changes are reflected in the structural and cultural marginalization and exclusion of women with disabilities and their families.
