- So what happens when your bones are soft?
What does that mean?
- You're not drinking enough milk.
- I tried that.
I swear to god, I tried it.
(upbeat, plucky music)
Hi, guys.
- Hi. - Hello.
- My name's Maddox.
- And I'm Charity.
- Selene.
- Hi, Selene.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you guys, too.
I love y'all red hair.
- Thank you.
- So what are we here to talk about today?
- We are here to talk about me as a person
with a disability.
- You know, I feel kind of bad for you
when you just say that.
- Why?
- It's hard to say.
- Is it because I'm short?
- I don't wanna say that.
- When you ever see people like me,
what do you think we like to be called?
- That's a hard question for me to think about.
- Would you call me a dwarf?
Would you call me a midget?
Or would you call me a little person?
What would you say?
- Um...
I don't know.
- Very safe, not gonna get mad.
- Hm.
Dwarf?
- Dwarf.
And what would you say?
- Little people.
- The best thing to call us is little people.
Because everybody has a different type of disability,
and their disabilities are in different categories.
So, it's good to say little person.
- And how tall are you?
- Hm.
How tall are you?
- I don't know.
Five feet.
- Let's stand side by side.
Are you taller, or am I taller?
- I don't wanna be rude.
(laughing)
- Oh, are you taller than me?
I think you are.
I am three feet tall.
- Wow.
- How were you able to be so small?
- My disability is called osteogenesis imperfecta.
It means my bones were very soft.
My bones were so soft that when I sneezed,
I could break something.
When I cough, I could break something.
- Look at my muscles.
- I didn't have muscles back in those days.
I had, like, over 100 fractures and 23 surgeries.
I use my wheelchair more.
- And is it like the robotic type when it has
like a joystick?
- Yes.
It's motorized, yes. - I love those types.
- I know, right?
Because I'm a little person, everything is kind
of smashed down.
Imagine like you take some ice cream
and you smash it down to a certain size,
and that's how our body is.
- You should eat onions to make you grow.
- Lord,
I never heard onions. - Make your hair grow.
- When I was younger, I did not like being a little person.
I really cried a lot of about it.
- But you get used to it.
- Yes, I got used to it.
I said, "Hey, what am I gonna do?
"Cry all the time?
"I might as well love myself."
And that's what I did.
- Well, when you're short you look so cute.
- Thank you, I know.
I work so hard.
- Do you dance?
- Girl, I used to.
When I was younger, I used to hit the club
and I'd be dancin'.
- Do you have a small car?
- How small is the car?
- Small enough so it would just fit you
like if you were a tall person.
- Then how's my son and my husband gonna fit in it?
- Oh. (laughing)
- I take the Access Bus,
and so I call them and they come to my door.
That's how I go to work.
- What do you do?
- I am a case manager, meaning that I help people
with disabilities.
- How do you do the things you can't do
like reach the door knob?
- There's not nothin' I really can't do.
We as people with disabilities always find a way
of doing, accommodating.
- Do you do any sports?
- Me, what?
(laughing)
Let's see, uh.
Nails, hairs, makeup, no. (laughing)
- I'm curious about do you have any kids or pets?
- I have one little boy.
He is five years old, no pets.
- And when you got to work,
do you have like a babysitter to take care of your kid?
- I used to.
I have a husband, I'm married.
- [Maddox] Oh.
- Ain't it cute?
So I'm married.
- And then when he wants to kiss you and he has to
go all the way to his knees.
- I know, he hates to bend down, so he'll sit down
and he'll go, "Come here, come here, come here."
(laughing)
And so I come and he go, mwah.
- Tell me about your son.
Is he cute? (laughing)
- Okay yes, he is cute.
He is tall like you, he has curly hair.
- And when you go shopping for clothes, and,
what happens if they don't have the right size for you?
- Well, let me ask you this.
Do you think I wear children's clothes,
or do you think I wear tall people clothes?
- Children clothes?
- Good answer, but no.
I wear a size four and five in women.
I look for the shortest skirts,
because the shortest skirts is gonna be long for me,
which would be a perfect size.
- That's a good idea.
- I can only wear children's shoes.
My feet won't grow.
I just--
- Maybe you should pray to Jesus.
- You know I did, you know, and Jesus said to me,
"Be happy for who you are."
- Do people stare at you?
- Yes, they do.
I do not like it.
If they're staring at me 'cause they think I'm cute,
that's fine.
But if they're staring at me because they want to
make fun of me, that is not fine.
We don't like it when people bend down and say,
"How, hey you doin'?"
It makes us feel like that you're talking to us like kids.
- You still look beautiful when you're small.
- Thank you.
- I'll give you a hug.
- Bring it in.
(squealing)
If you see somebody different, or someone with a disability,
would you bully them?
- No.
- What about you?
- No, 'cause they're still people.
- Yes, they are still people.
High five it, man.
Thank you.
I think that when you see a little person,
or you see anybody different,
treat them as normal as if you don't even
see their disability.
- Do you like being small?
- I love it now.
I love being short because it's hard for people
to forget me.
- Really?
(laughing) - Yes, really.
If I'm small, I'm different and people remember people
that are different.
- Thank you.
- For sharing my story?
Thank you for listening.
- I'll give you a hug.
- Oh, love your hugs.
- Instead of a handshake.
- I have one more question for you.
- Uh oh.
What is it, Gigi?
- Can you do a cartwheel?
- See.
Gigi.
No.
- Hey, it's Marina from HiHo.
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