Dwarfism Awareness Day

My team were privileged to attend the first Little People UK Dwarfism Awareness Day at the Senedd last week.

 

The day aimed to celebrate and raise awareness of Dwarfism. It reinforced the importance of expanding conversations about accessibility and inclusion not only in our communities but in workplaces, schools and within the medical profession.

 

There are an estimated 625,000 people in the world with dwarfism and 7,000 people in the UK. Little People UK is a charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with dwarfism. It provides support and medical information to people with dwarfism and their families.

 

The event brought together an inspirational panel of people born with dwarfism and associated conditions to share their powerful and inspirational stories. They reinforced the need for education and awareness so that little people have equal opportunities, are seen, heard and celebrated as members of society.

 

The panel included Danielle Webb from Newport. Danielle is a driving force for Dwarfism awareness in Gwent. Born with Dwarfism, she has been working to break down barriers and educate communities across Gwent by hosting awareness sessions and empowering other young people with disabilities to have access to opportunities they never thought they could have. Her book ‘Mummy there’s a new girl’ is an empowering and heartfelt story of how size should never be an issue.

 

Danielle’s work in Gwent is commendable and has made a huge difference. I am committed to breaking down barriers in communities and we will continue to celebrate and raise awareness of dwarfism in Gwent working alongside Little People UK.

 

How you can help:

 

Be aware of preferred terminology. If you can, always call someone by their name, if you don’t know their name don’t let their disability define them.

If you needed to describe someone with dwarfism, accepted terms are: little person and dwarf.

 

Have a look at Little People UK website to find out more: https://littlepeopleuk.org/

 

Follow Danielle Marie Webb @lifebeinglittle