Hello everyone! So happy to share the story of one of my friends/teammates, Reilly Boyt, who's also part of the US Paralympic National Team. Since October is also Dwarfism Awareness Month, I wanted to share her thoughts regarding living life with Dwarfism. She left this website as a resource for some information regarding Dwarfism: http://theodysseyonline.com/kansas/faq-for-little-people/184057.
If you have any other questions, please leave a comment and I'll be happy to have either of us answer for you :)
If you have any other questions, please leave a comment and I'll be happy to have either of us answer for you :)
"Hi my name is Reilly. When you first meet me you can tell that I am a little unique. I have Achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. Which means that I stand at 4’2” and have shorter limbs in comparison to my torso. As a dwarf I have had to deal with a society that is incredibly uneducated about dwarfism. Which is why this month has been so important, October is Dwarfism Awareness month. One of the biggest issues that dwarves face is the use of the word midget. Midget is a word that came into use in the 19th and 20th century, around the time that freak shows were still a thing. People come to these shows to gawk at people with dwarfism and treat them in an incredibly dehumanizing way. This has carried into the 21st century which lead to midget being classified as a derogatory hate word in 2009. Correct terminology you can use is dwarf, person with dwarfism, little person, or you can call me by name. So it is really important that we educate people about the word midget, issues dwarves face, and dwarfism in general. Because the more that society learns about dwarfism, the closer we get to eliminating the stereotypes and misconceptions."