Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Alex Reside / Daily Vidette Senior Staff Amy Roloff gives a keynote speech in Braden Auditorium on Saturday night.

Media Credit: Alex Reside / Daily Vidette Senior Staff The University Program Board presented Amy Roloff of the hit TLC show "Little People, Big World."

This past week has reminded a lot of people that differences amongst others still affect our country. With the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, life is still difficult for people who do not look like the majority.

However, on Saturday, April 5, some people were given the chance to take their beliefs and ideas about the differences of others to new heights.

Amy Roloff, a mother, teacher, coach, author and star of the reality television show, "Little People, Big World," came to Braden Auditorium to share her experiences as a little person with our community.

"God doesn't make mistakes, I am who I'm supposed to be," Roloff said. "I must find my own purpose in life, and I am still doing that today. It is a continuous thing, and we should all look for our purpose."

Roloff has achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. As much as her short stature is a part of her life, she makes sure her life is not controlled by it. Comparing outside appearances to the outside wrappings of presents, Roloff tried to emphasize the importance of not judging by appearances only.

"We need to focus more on the inside. Maybe we won't always agree with what people do or think, but at least we will understand each other better," Roloff said.

Roloff has lived by this principle her entire life. From her first experiences of teasing in kindergarten, to the scary judgmental world that is high school, Roloff has experienced both ends of the judging spectrum.

"I was 10 when I went to my first Little People of America event. I had not been around so many little people in my life, and I even thought I was different from them. It even freaked me out a little bit. It took me a while to learn who I was," Roloff said.

It was not until college that Roloff perhaps saw that acceptance is a two way street.

"I was shocked when my college roommate didn't treat me differently," Roloff said. "That was the first time I realized that I was more worried about my outside than others, and if I couldn't accept myself how could I expect others to accept me?"

Roloff did learn quickly and has pushed on through life with the conviction that the truly good will look to see the real her as she does to others.

As a little person, dealing with the ignorance of people is only a part of the day-to-day struggle. Living in a world that is structured for people of a different stature than your own is more difficult than most would imagine.

From having to learn to reach the telephone as a child, to learning to play the clarinet (an instrument half her size), Roloff has worked very hard to adapt in a world built for people bigger than herself.

"When I was in high school, I joined the marching band. My parents got my uniform tailored to fit me, thankfully. But the hardest part was the timing," Roloff said. "For every one step a normal sized person takes, I have to take three. So, in order to stay in unison, I had to focus more on running to my mark than playing the clarinet."

For many people in attendance, Roloff is more than just a reality television star. Her perseverance to be a good mother and strength to not let her dwarfism stop her from anything has created quite a following for Roloff.

"I watch the show every week and I have been so excited to meet Amy," Rachel Cobb, a junior business major, said. "She shows so many how important it is to embrace the differences that we all have."

Megan Kasper, a student at Aurora University, drove hours just to come and see Roloff. "I am a social work major at my school, and I think it is important to see people like Amy Roloff who promote the acceptance of diversity."

For Roloff, the life she has led has been a difficult journey, but she would never change a thing. Showing a strength many normal sized people do not have, Roloff stresses the importance of picking yourself up.

"I have been on a great life adventure," Roloff said. "Sometimes life can get a little depressing, but you just have to move on."

Roloff has become a true champion of diversity. No longer concerned with her outside package, even when in front of the camera, Roloff believes it is more important that her audience see the real her. "I try not to focus on my outside anymore, I have to make sure that I am not changing myself in order to please others."

Her television show has proven to so many that life is not as different for little people as most may think.

Through watching the day to day lives of her family, many have been able to relate with Roloff. In her eyes, that is the best thing to come out of her show - to have others see what is inside the package.

"I truly believe we all have more similarities than differences," Roloff said, "If we take the time to see that, we open up so many opportunities for ourselves and for everyone else."

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools