Dwarfism Awareness 101

I'm sure that all of you are aware that October is Dwarfism Awareness Month, and if not, then you have not been reading my Facebook posts. But it is Dwarfism Awareness Month and it is definitely one of my favorite months of the year. It's a time to educate. To share. To embrace the beauty of everyone's differences. To show that we should not be hindered by our differences. To stress that we are people too, just a little smaller.


It's time to educate. Let's begin our lesson with everything that you probably should not call me or really anyone with dwarfism. Midget is a big no no. Midget is a word that was used a while back and used to describe the people in a freak show. We're not freaks, I can promise you that. This word is highly offensive to all little people, and if used, we will not be very patient or polite with you. You can't say I didn't warn you. Outside of midget, little girl, small fry, shrimp, and so many other names, are names that you should stray away from. If you would like to be politically correct, I am a dwarf which is also known as a little person. And this may be just me, but I don't like those terms either because I would prefer not to be defined by my size. The one thing you should call me and every other person is by their name. I have no problem answering to that.


Many people are simply unaware what dwarfism is, and it's basically someone of short stature or in another terms someone who is around four foot ten or shorter. It's not a disease. There is no cure, because nothing is really wrong with us. There are over 200 types of dwarfism, so please never ask me to list them all. It's impossible. I think I can only list two successfully. Achondroplasia is the most common type of dwarfism and is the type that me and my parents both have. Basically, that type of dwarfism means my arms and legs didn't fully grow all the way. We can also experience complications by having a shunt placed in our head. Now a shunt is a device (I have no clue what it looks like) installed in my head that helps drain the fluid from my head to my stomach. We can also have a complication with our bowed legs. If we keep the bowed legs, it can cause problems down the line such as arthritis or hip problems. But on the other hand, surgery to fix the bowed legs involves physically breaking your legs and being in a wheel chair for around four months. Now each type of dwarfism comes with its own complications. So what I've learned is that no story is ever the same.


Now here's a question that I am constantly asked, how is my brother six foot five when both of my parents, myself included, are under five foot? I love that question. It's my favorite.Well, it all depended on the traits that were passed down from my parents. To break it down, my parents had a 25% chance that their child would be average height (or above average height like my 6' 5" brother), a 50% chance that their child would have dwarfism (LIKE ME!) and another 25% chance that the child would have a double dominant gene. Now a double dominant gene means that both parents would have passed the dwarfism gene. A baby born with the double dominant gene will usually not live past the age of one.


As a little person, you may be able to tell that the world was not made for me. Almost everything is out of my reach and I really can't help it. It's safe to say that I own several stools and those definitely lend a  big hand. I also have these things called pedal extensions to help me drive. These attach to the top of the pedals and make the pedals a little longer. The best part about these pedals is that it allows every other average height person to drive my car with no problems. But to give you a little view of how my life may be a little different from yours, check out this list:

1. Public sinks. Yes, even the handicapped ones. My reach is very short, as my arms don't straighten.
2.  Light switches in old houses.
3. Credit card parking meters. Can't see the numbers, so I have no idea what I've paid for. Eeek!
4. Credit card readers at many gas stations. I have to climb on the curby part, which is probably not so safe in the ice, but I do it anyway. I have a special trick for getting the stupid card in and out quickly. What a pain!
5. Most anything I actually WANT in the grocery store. I'm good at knocking things off the shelf. Haven't been hit in the head by a can yet!
6. Lids, straws, condiments, plasticware etc. Yep, I'm not getting those.
7. Most buffet-style food. By the way, the sneeze guard wouldn't keep out my sneeze. Just sayin'.
8. High barista counters at cafes. Sometimes, they plain just don't see me and I have to get their attention.
9. Deli counters, or anything behind glass like that. I can't hear them, and they can't hear me.
10. Bar-type stools. Any time a server leads me to one of those high tables, I laugh.
11. Self check-out screens at the supermarket. I can scan things, but good luck if I make a mistake or like to pay.
12. Any sort of paper (advertisement or ticket) left on my windshield. Hey, at least I could say I couldn't reach it and the ticket blew off on the way home.
13. Basically anything taller than 4', which is a lot of things in this world. 

Clothing sometimes can be a big problem. As much as I wish there would be a little person clothing store, there isn't - not yet anyways. Shirts are okay 98% of the time, I just usually have to roll up the sleeves. But pants, they definitely have to be hemmed. But show wise, yes, that's the most difficult to shop for. I will always be searching in the kids department. Why sometimes it's a blessing as they are pretty cheap (I just bought a pair of combat boots for less than $30), but it's also a curse. I don't know if you've ever looked in the little kids shoe department, but they love velcro, glitter, and everything little kids would love, not nineteen year olds.


Now to move onto the questions that some people may be too afraid to ask. Dating is the big one. And it usually starts off with, "Now don't be offended..." Please never start with this. If you're asking a question, I know you're not trying to offend me. But this is a topic that may be a little sticky for some people. Who are you more interested in, an average person or a little person? I really never know how to answer this question. But my answer is usually an average height person. I mean, that's who I'm always around and do pretty much everything with. Don't get me wrong, I would love to date a little person, it's just hard as they're not right next door. But something I want everyone to understand, a little person doesn't have to go with a little person. And if an average height person is dating a little person, it's perfectly normal. They should not be considered a saint because they have to deal with the stares, comments, and questions that ignorant people choose to ask. As you can tell, I'm pretty passionate about this topic. I just want to throw out all of the stereotypes that are associated with dwarfism. But like I said, I'm not here to criticize, just to set the records straight.


I hope you all know that I would not be able to say all of this without all of your love and support. It's easy to lead an army but it's even easier to lead an army with a support system behind you. The name calling, the stares, the laughs are all temporary, and it's completely out of my control. But you guys aren't. You're here to laugh with me, help me turn all the stares, comments, and name calling into jokes. I wouldn't be able to do it without you. So just know, that you're important too.


Now I encourage all of you to help spread awareness of dwarfism. Wear green. Buy a bracelet. Odds are that if you found something interesting in this, someone else will too. Share it with them. The whole idea of spreading awareness is to educate those who are not.