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Poor public knowledge and inaccessible facilities among challenges faced by people with dwarfism, new study finds
On 19 December 2018, the Department of Public Policy of The City University of Hong Kong announced the findings of an EOC-funded study on little people, i.e. people with dwarfism, titled “Creating a Discrimination-free and Barrier-free Living Environment for the ‘Little People’ in Hong Kong”. Under the study, 523 members of the public were surveyed via a questionnaire, while people with dwarfism as well as their families were engaged through in-depth interviews between November 2017 and July 2018.
The study findings showed that there is an evident misunderstanding of little people among the public, with 83.6% of questionnaire respondents acknowledging that they had an inadequate or very inadequate knowledge about them. Common misconceptions include dwarfism being invariably a genetically inherited condition, and that the height difference between children with and without dwarfism will narrow over time, as the former grow up. The survey also revealed derogatory attitudes – more than 40% of respondents had the perception that little people belong to a special species and have an unpleasant look.
Social prejudice is not the only barrier in the lives of little people, however. Interviewees reported having trouble accessing public facilities, such as urinals, drinking fountains and bank counters, that are situated way too high. Under the Disability Discrimination Ordinance (DDO), unless there is unjustifable hardship in developing or alterating designs to make these facilities accessible to little people, failing to accommodate their needs may be unlawful and constitute indirect discrimination.
The report ends with recommendations for action on various fronts, from enhancing public education and calling out media stereotyping of little people to adopting the principles of universal design in the construction of new buildings and renovation of existing structures. Only with a concerted effort across sectors can we build a society free from discrimination and remove the barriers for little people and other people with disabilities.
