This 59-year-old Muslim cleric suffers from some major physical handicaps: he is almost blind, and has had a couple of strokes.

ECONOMIST: A Survey of Indonesia

And finally, there is the courage of the 5, 000 surviving children who have struggled with tremendous physical and emotional handicaps.

ECONOMIST: Thalidomide

Balancing out the anonymity and lack of physical contact is the ability to mask a plethora of medical and psychological conditions that until now have proven serious handicaps to social interaction.

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