Voters Are Largely Unaware of the Discrimination Faced by Little People
By Danielle Deiseroth, Matthew Cortland, Rob Todaro, and Lew Blank
According to Little People of America (LPA), there are an estimated 30,000 people with dwarfism in the United States, many of whom prefer the term “little people.” LPA defines dwarfism as “a medical or genetic condition that usually results in an adult height of 4'10" or shorter” or slightly taller than that in some cases. Dwarfism is considered a disability under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and other federal disability civil rights laws.
A new Data for Progress survey examined voters’ impressions and understanding of the dwarfism community.
For one, voters were asked about 12 different groups and whether they are protected against discrimination under the ADA. Every listed group is actually eligible for ADA protection.
Voters are most aware that blind people (80%), wheelchair users (77%), and deaf people (74%) are protected by the ADA. Less than half (41%) correctly think that the ADA covers little people, while 21% think they are not covered. Dwarfism is one of six categories of disability that a majority of voters do not think are covered by the ADA — the others being people with post-traumatic stress disorder, cancer, major depressive disorder, chronic pain, and long COVID — demonstrating a lack of awareness.
When asked about their level of awareness regarding discrimination against little people in their communities, 60% of voters say they have heard, seen, or read “nothing at all,” and an even higher percentage (65%) say the same for discrimination against little people in the workplace. In both cases, fewer than 1 in 10 (8%) voters have heard, seen, or read “a lot.”
One pernicious form of mistreatment and discrimination against the dwarfism community is the practice of “dwarf tossing,” a bar sport in which bar patrons try to see who can throw a little person the farthest. When voters are informed of this practice, and told that some lawmakers are considering making dwarf tossing illegal, a bipartisan majority of voters (58%) say they support banning dwarf tossing.
Even after being presented with arguments in favor of and against dwarf tossing, a majority of voters (55%), including a majority of Democrats (64%) and pluralities of both Independents (49%) and Republicans (49%), support banning dwarf tossing.
This survey shines a light on an underrepresented group of disabled Americans: the dwarfism community. Voters are generally less aware of little people’s ADA protections compared with other protected groups, and a majority have not heard, seen, or read anything related to the discrimination they face in their communities and the workplace. Furthermore, voters are in favor of banning dwarf tossing after being informed of the practice.
Danielle Deiseroth (@danielledeis) is the Executive Director at Data for Progress.
Matthew Cortland (@mattbc) is a senior resident fellow at Data for Progress.
Rob Todaro (@RobTodaro) is the Communications Director at Data for Progress.
Lew Blank (@LewBlank) is a communications strategist at Data for Progress.