October is National Dwarfism Awareness Month
Governor Jay Nixon signs proclamation on September 23, 2011 declaring October 2011 as Dwarfism Awareness Month in the State of Missouri.
October has been declared National Dwarfism Awareness Month. Little People of America (LPA) is a national support organization for people with dwarfism and their families. LPA provides peer, parent and medical support for the dwarfism community.
- There are over 200 distinct forms of dwarfism and skeletal dysplasias.
- People with dwarfism are generally not taller than 4' 10" at adult height. The typical height range is 2'8" to 4'5".
- Eighty percent of people with dwarfism have average-height parents and siblings.
- There are an estimated 30,000 people in the United States and 651,000 internationally with a type of dwarfism.
- In July 2009 the word "midget" was declared inappropriate and offensive. Preferable terms are: having dwarfism, short stature, little person, lp, and the medical terminology use of dwarf. A person's name is always the most preferred.
- LPA has registered a complaint with the FCC over the use of the "m" word. Our goal is to raise awareness around the offensive impact of the word in order to eliminate its use in media, popular culture and in everyday language.
- LPA has 6500 members across the United States and includes 70 chapters active in all 50 states.
- Skeletal Dysplasias affect bone growth, but generally do not affect cognitive abilities.
- LPA hosts an annual national conference each July which draws 2500 attendees for a week of activities, including educational and medical workshops, sports, and social networking and events.
The National Dwarfism Awareness Month program is dedicated to increasing public knowledge about people with dwarfism.
For more information about National Dwarfism Awareness Month, please visit www.lpaonline.org or call 1-888-LPA-2001. Events supporting National Dwarfism Awareness Month will be occurring across the U.S. throughout the month of October.
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