Full Text of HR1234 97th General Assembly
HR1234 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, There are an estimated 3,500 people with dwarfism | 3 | | residing in the State of Illinois, averaging one per every | 4 | | 10,000 births, over 30,000 people in the United States, and | 5 | | over 650,000 in the world; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, There are over 200 distinct types of dwarfism or | 7 | | skeletal dysplasia; the most common type of dwarfism, | 8 | | achondroplasia, restricts the growth of the arms and legs; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Over 80% of people with dwarfism have | 10 | | average-height parents, siblings, and children; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, It is very rare to have any type of mental | 12 | | impairment associated with dwarfism; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, People with dwarfism contribute to the strength of | 14 | | the economy in Illinois by being productive members of the | 15 | | workforce, representing all careers and professions; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, People with dwarfism are able to function as well | 17 | | in society as average-height people and are perfectly capable | 18 | | of riding bikes, playing sports, driving cars, traveling, and | 19 | | having fulfilling careers and families - all with simple and | 20 | | reasonable accommodations; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The preferred terminology for someone with | 2 | | dwarfism is "short stature", "having dwarfism", "little | 3 | | person", or "dwarf"; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, The term "midget" is antiquated and is considered | 5 | | offensive to most people with dwarfism; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, The Little People of America (LPA) is the nation's | 7 | | oldest and largest organization for people with dwarfism; the | 8 | | organization is celebrating its 55th anniversary year in 2012 | 9 | | and is headquartered in Tustin, California; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, LPA was founded by the late actor Billy Barty, who | 11 | | during his over 70-year career appeared in more than 100 films | 12 | | and television shows, and was a long time resident of Burbank, | 13 | | California; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, LPA is dedicated to improving the quality of life | 15 | | for people with dwarfism throughout their lives, while | 16 | | celebrating with great pride their contribution to social | 17 | | diversity; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, LPA provides support on numerous issues, | 19 | | including parenting, adoption assistance, educational | 20 | | scholarships, medical knowledge and access to specialists in |
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| 1 | | dwarfism, peer support, community outreach, and issues | 2 | | advocacy; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, The need and support that LPA provides to people | 4 | | with dwarfism is demonstrated by LPA's rapid growth from 20 | 5 | | members in 1957 to more than 6,500 members in 2012; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, LPA is the only dwarfism support organization that | 7 | | represents all 200 forms of dwarfism and welcomes family | 8 | | members and people with dwarfism alike; therefore, be it
| 9 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 10 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 11 | | we designate the month of October of 2012 as "Dwarfism | 12 | | Awareness Month" in the State of Illinois in order to raise | 13 | | public awareness about people with dwarfism and the | 14 | | contributions of Little People of America and in recognition of | 15 | | the organization's 55 years of service to the State of Illinois | 16 | | and the world at large; and be it further
| 17 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 18 | | presented to Little People of America as a symbol of our | 19 | | respect and esteem.
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