Short stature father urgers for dwarf awareness in Tubatse
“I am willing to go out to schools to teach learners about us shorties. It hurts when young boys whistle at you and make derogatory comments. I sometimes lose my temper and beat them up. A little guide about dwarf people would help, maybe the negativity would then stop,” he says.
BURGERSFORT- A local father suffering from achondroplasia (dwarfism) has pleaded with Tubatse dwellers to stop discriminating against short-statured people.
Jeffrey Shai (63) of Sehunyane told Steelburger/Lydenburg News that as part of Dwarf Awareness Month, he feels it is vital for him to remind the locals that dwarfs are people and deserve to be respected, just like anyone else.
“I have been subjected to a lot of criticism, been disrespected and sworn at by people. All just because I am too short, but I am still a person, I am clever, educated and can do anything for myself,” the father of three says.
He is currently working as a petrol attendant at a well-known filling station in town, and he previously also worked as a temporary teacher in Gauteng.
“We are always targets; we are often discriminated against. People’s attitudes to me in public can be pretty cruel. Some are okay, but you get the odd idiot who will make fun of you and start laughing at you. I can play soccer even though I am old, I can also do a somersault better than some teenage boys.”
Shai says even naughty young boys sometimes boo him when he is walking down the street. The height of people with dwarfism may vary from about 81cm (2 feet 8 inches) to 142cm (4 feet 8 inches).
“I am willing to go out to schools to teach learners about us shorties. It hurts when young boys whistle at you and make derogatory comments. I sometimes lose my temper and beat them up. A little guide about dwarf people would help, maybe the negativity would then stop,” he says.
Shai alleges that he has tried to engage with the Greater Tubatse Municipality (GTM) in teaching locals about awareness of dwarfism, but they gave him the cold shoulder.
He wishes the municipality would helps in educating the public in order to stop the discrimination. He appeals to disabled locals and dwarfs not to look down upon themselves and to accept who they are. He invites them to meet in order to discuss the challenges they encounter in their daily lives. He can be contacted on 071-548-5504.
Shai has been happily married to his wife Gladys since 1990. They have been blessed with two daughters, Tebogo (33) and Linda (28) and a son, Nthekoane (28), who are also of short stature.
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