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WHAT CHALLENGES DO LITTLE PEOPLE FACE?
Statistics about the number of little people — those with dwarfism — in the workforce are scarce. But there are qualified candidates among this group for jobs in many sectors.
DID YOU KNOW?
More than 80% of those with achondroplasia are born to parents of average stature, and a child with the condition has a 50% chance of passing it on.
Source: National Human Genome Research Institute
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
Identify common barriers to employment for little people
Recognize stereotypes perpetuated about little people in popular culture
What is dwarfism, and what are common misperceptions?
Dwarfism is short stature caused by a genetic or medical condition. It’s generally defined as an adult height of 4 feet, 10 inches or less. The average adult height among people with dwarfism is 4 feet.
According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, individuals with dwarfism are among a group of people who face significant barriers to employment. While dwarfism is a recognized condition under the American Disabilities Act, opinions within the little person community vary over whether the term is applicable. And many little people don’t feel like they have a disability.
Mark Povinelli, president of the nonprofit Little People of America advocacy group, notes that the largest barrier for little people is often other people’s assumptions and biases about their capabilities. Once relegated to the entertainment field, “we are (now) doctors, lawyers, business people, actors, race car drivers, teachers, advocates, Realtors, firemen,” he said.
“Our largest challenge is overcoming the perception that we are less capable than our average height counterparts. Oftentimes, (little people) must work twice as hard to prove our capabilities, assuming of course that we can overcome initial biases in the hiring process,” he adds.
But too often, says Christophe Zajac-Denek, an independent audio and video editor in California, “When you’re qualified and you walk in (an office) and look like a little person, you don’t get the love and respect you deserve.”
And, the barriers start during the job-application process, Zajac-Denek says.
“When there’s a box to check that says, ‘Do you have a disability?’ (I believe) that’s like an alarm bell for employers. I thought a couple of times that clicking that box might get me more noticed, but I really feel it doesn’t.”
What kinds of bias and behaviors are some little people subjected to?
Zajac-Denek shares the experience of a friend who’s been the CFO at an insurance company for 12 years. Occasionally, people still pat his friend on the head.
“We have to be nice enough to approach somebody to say, ‘Hey, that’s actually offensive,’” says Zajac-Denek. “Don’t want to hurt your feelings, but also, please don’t pat me on the head. Please don’t infantilize my existence.”
Egregious behavior against little people isn’t limited to workplaces. In 2014, a 22-year-old little person used a hidden camera to document his encounters in New York City. Several people took photos of him with their smartphones; others directed offensive comments at him. The footage is part of a documentary, “Don’t Look Down on Me,” that’s been viewed more than 3 million times on YouTube, and brings awareness to the insensitive treatment that little people endure in their daily lives.
What efforts are underway for expanding the presence of little people in the workforce?
Povinelli says his organization has begun a concerted effort to increase the number of little people in the workforce by partnering with companies, many of them in the tech sphere, and matching them with skilled members. “We hope to continue to grow this effort as awareness of our community to companies remains an integral part of this connection,” he says.
It’s just a matter of companies and workers having exposure to the little people community, which is another primary reason for the absence of little people in many workplaces, Zajac-Denek believes.
“To me, it’s a fear of that company to say that they accept or stand behind dwarfism,” he says. “That’s what we’re fighting against.”
Pondr This
Have you ever thought about the kind of stigmatization that little people or people with disabilities experience?
How does the inclusion of all people, regardless of stature or ability, benefit the workplace?
Do you think the ways little people are portrayed in films or popular culture matter?
FOR LEADERS
How do you think health disparities affect life for the people around you?
What health care struggles have you yourself or your family experienced?
What has health care made possible for you? How has the health care system fallen short for you?
Explore The Stories
Little people: A toolkit
From Colorado to Tokyo, one stroke at a time
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Joe Mahoney was a staff photographer and Director of Multimedia for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver for a decade. In 2000 and 2003, he was part of the photo teams at the News that won Pulitzer Prizes for Breaking News Photography.
After the paper closed, he helped form the investigative news start-up, I-News, and later became the Director of Multimedia for the PBS affiliate in Denver when they merged. Mahoney started his career with the Associated Press.
He and his family live in Colorado with Shiloh the Wonder Dog and spend too much time playing hockey.
lITTLe person takes big step, writes kids book about his life
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Christophe Zajac-Denek hosts and produces “I’m Kind of a Big Deal,” a podcast about little people. As someone who is four feet, 4 inches tall with a rare form of dwarfism, he sees life through a specialized lens. Zajac-Denek has worked as an actor, stuntman, touring rock-and-roll drummer, and TV producer. When he’s not raising awareness about dwarfism on his show, he can be found surfing one of California’s point breaks.
Social links:
@bigdealpod
@christophezd
Topic in Review
We examined the discrimination that little people can encounter. We also heard from some of the advocates looking to break some of the stereotypes and biases that little people face in the workplace and in their everyday lives. From riding the subway to interviewing for jobs, little people say they are stigmatized, which results in being limited in job opportunities and feeling disrespected and dehumanized. We also explored the work that is being done by groups like Little People of America to change perceptions of little people and increase their presence in the workforce.
Continue Your Journey
Hollywood is one place where little people have historically faced discriminatory treatment, low pay and degrading jobs. Selene Luna, who is a standup comedian and a voice actor who played Tia Rosita in the Pixar film “Coco,” described how little people are depicted on screen. “Little people are rarely portrayed as having real thoughts and feelings. It’s always as some prop. Let’s put you in a costume and have you run around like an idiot,” she said.
But she praised the actor Peter Dinklage, known for his role as the self-assured, witty Tyrion Lannister in the show “Game of Thrones” for being a trailblazer in the industry. His striking performances have earned him four Emmy Awards, a Screen Actor Guild Award and a Golden Globe Award.
While Dinklage has had a successful career, it has not been without hurdles. His approach has been to reject any roles that made his height a focus and not sacrifice his integrity as an actor. “I had a code that I lived by and knew the things that made me uncomfortable, and that I was not going to take them,” he said in an interview.
Dinklage said he thinks Hollywood is opening the door to “more realistic portrayals of who people are.” It’s a long way from 1939 when “The Wizard of Oz” came out, which employed a large number of little people from all over the world. However, the lore surrounding the behavior of little people overshadowed the meaningful experience the cast members had, with rumors claiming they were debaucherous and inappropriate. A 2018 New Yorker essay by Matt Weinstock debunks some of the legends around the filming of “The Wizard of Oz.” In reality, for many of the 124 little people cast in the film, it was “a moment of homecoming.” It was the first time that then 18-year old Jerry Maren saw another little person; another actor was overcome with emotion being on set; and many of the members met their husbands and wives while filming. The experience is said to have led Maren, along with his friend, to eventually form what is now the advocacy group Little People of America in 1957.