People living with dwarfism cry foul

PEOPLE living with dwarfism have called for user-friendly public facilities such as buildings and public transport to cater for all without discriminating against them.

One of the affected persons, Sibongile Moyo (32) yesterday told NewsDay that the set up in most supermarkets and public transport alienated people with dwarfism, adding that all supermarkets and transport should have user-friendly facilities for people with disabilities.

“The shelves where they store goods are too high for people like me. This makes shopping a bad experience as I often have to jump to reach some of the goods that I want or I have to ask willing customers for help. I would like to independently do that without having to ask for help from anyone,” Moyo said.

She said people with dwarfism felt helpless whenever they fail to do things that are easily done by other people, adding that their existence must not be disregarded.

“Dwarf people already have to suffer the judgmental eyes of the people when they walk on the streets. They don’t need to jump at supermarkets to reach products. It is very belittling and uncomfortable for us,” she said.

On the ineffective transport system, Moyo castigated the long hours that people have to endure at queues.

“The long transport queues are even harder to bear as I sometimes get pushed and squeezed in-between the taller people as they rush to get onto the buses. Honestly, I sometimes dread going to town because of experiences such as these,” she said.

Moyo said she wished the public was considerate towards people with dwarfism.