Meet the writer: Danielle Webb

 

Hello! 

I’m Danielle Webb, and I'm pretty much your typical 23-year-old.... I work, socialise and everything in-between!  The only difference being, I do it all at 3f11 tall.

 

I was born with a condition called Achondroplasia, a hereditary condition in which the growth of long bones by ossification of cartilage is restricted, resulting in very short limbs and sometimes a face which is small in relation to the skull. So, in other words- I'm short!

Achondroplasia is the most common form of dwarfism and is known as short limb dwarfism. Meaning my torso- is very similar to that of yours! But my limbs are short- this means that at 23 years old, I stand at the same height as your average six-year-old. Whilst there are many additional health conditions and possible occurring issues caused by having Achondroplasia- The key thing is. I’m just short. 

 

I grew up in an average height world- there is no one else in my family with the condition, and this meant as a child- I just did what everyone else did! I didn’t really notice the extent of my condition until secondary school- and then even more so when I went on to college and university. As my understanding of the world around me grew- I found my frustrations grew with it. 

But the thing about frustration- it does more harm internally. And having been that teenager who didn’t want to be small- and lusted towards anything in slight relation to it- I now want to use those emotions for better good.

As a society, we tend to fear the unknown, and despite there being an estimated 651,700 people in the world who are affected by a form of the condition, dwarfism is seen to be just that. As a result of this, the world we live in often lacks the education and awareness to accept the differences we bring.

 

Through Short Perspectives, I wish to enlighten people of the world I live in, that, despite being so different... remains to be very much the same as each of yours. Short Perspectives first started when I was 14- as a school project, taking photos in the canteen to show my teachers that I couldn’t reach the fridge! and ever since then I knew one day it would be something I shared with the wider world. 

 

I don’t want anyone to look at Short Perspectives through a lens of pity- but instead with positivity- as no challenge is ever overcome without being shared, this conversation aims not to highlight the problems, but instead remind everyone the power of when we face those problems together.

 

Short Perspectives is the voice of my own personal journey- but also of others who have walked similar paths to mine. It shares the laughs and cries of Dwarfism in the 21st Century…. And what life is like… living in a world built for people twice your size.

 

I want to thank everyone reading this, for supporting Short Perspectives and I hope you enjoy following our story and maybe even learn something along the way.

Danielle x