The children sometimes make genuinely funny comments about Viola – However, she has one wish for her parents – 2024-02-19 06:17:53

Viola Haapanen, 65, walks the streets of Tampere like any of us. However, the 106-centimeter Haapanen is attracting attention.

– I’m not used to being stared at, but I can’t stop it either. Over the years, I have also been inappropriately even called a dwarf. For example, Lyhytkaskuiset ry has zero tolerance for the word.

Haapanen says that he has learned to leave nasty comments to his own dignity.

– For many, the looks and comments still hurt a lot. I hope people think about what they say and do.

The reason for Haapanen’s short stature is unknown.

– Despite the research, it has remained a mystery. The cause has not been found in genes or chromosomes, and no other members of our family have short stature.

Haapanen learned to walk much later than normal. At the age of ten, he was still less than a meter tall. In the end, the length was 115 centimeters.

– However, my body could not withstand the growth spurt. Because of this, I developed a hump on my back and my height dropped to 106 centimeters.

Haapanen started school even before the actual school in Tampere’s English school, which gave him a strong taste for a foreign language early on. On the whole, Haapase’s time at school went quite well, and no worse bullying occurred. In the first grade, however, the teachers took special care of him.

– At first, I didn’t go to intermediate classes, because my hip problem made it difficult to walk. The teachers took care that nothing could happen.

– I wasn’t bullied much. Instead of me, one of the boys in our class got poked and bullied for some reason.

However, one thing upset Haapa: he was never invited to a house party.

– It felt boring. I still just thought that I can’t do anything about it. When we got together later in adulthood for a class meeting, I mentioned it. Then everyone went quiet.

To become a music teacher

Haapanen continued to high school, after which he trained as a music teacher. He didn’t face any particular bullying or discrimination, but remembering one episode still makes him laugh.

– There was a teaching practice going on, I got up on a stool to write on the board with chalk. However, I wobbled on the chair and fell to the floor.

– I remember the deep silence that descended on the class. When my head emerged from behind the chair and the table, we just realized together that we are alive. We all took what happened with humor.

After graduating, Haapanen worked for fourteen years in the area of ​​three municipalities.

– I was lucky. I met a principal who was willing to hire me because of my qualifications. Many people with disabilities find it very difficult to get a job, because there are still plenty of prejudices.

Haapanen’s small size surprised the students.

– I talked to many people about it to clarify the matter. As a rule, the cooperation with the students went well.

The biggest problem was the attitude of some of the students’ parents.

– Some felt it was a problem that a “slut” like me was teaching their children. However, the comments did not come directly to me, but I heard about them from the principal.

– Of course, that felt bad and heavy, because due to my short stature, I felt a lot of pressure to be able to put in a full work effort among normal-sized colleagues.

Haapanen had to give up working life at the age of 45 because his legs couldn’t handle the work.

– Decreasing the functionality of the legs due to hip problems is one of the problems of short people, so I had to leave work.

– I got sick pension quite quickly. It felt bad at first. I felt bad and worthless because I couldn’t work. As time went by, the mood brightened and became easier. I welcomed the pension, because my condition would not have allowed me to work as a teacher.

Different in society

Over the years, Haapanen has encountered many unpleasant situations while moving around. He names credibility and reach as the biggest challenges.

– Unfortunately, the small size reduces credibility. Some seriously doubt whether a person is an adult because of their small stature. The credibility problem is compounded by the voice, as a short person may have a soft and childlike voice.

– Dimensionality brings problems in many places, such as in shops and other transactions. In this case, an assistant or an acquaintance is needed.

It’s really sad that when moving with an assistant, the attention of the serving staff is too often focused on the assistant.

– I feel sad when a salesperson sells to an assistant, even though I am a customer. I then note that I am a shopper with a wallet.

– Some of the sellers have become embarrassed after that. I hope they will remember better in the future that short people and others who use an assistant are customers of equal value to others.

Regarding nasty comments, Haapanen brings up a comment received by one of his short acquaintances.

– An adolescent boy had told him: “If I were such a jerk, I would kill myself.” Everyone can think how that feels.

On the other hand, Haapanen remembers, in his own way, a funny example of a “star moment” in his life, he was on the terrace of a restaurant at the time.

– The terrace was passed by a mother with her child in a stroller. The child saw me and exclaimed: “Little aunt is drinking cider!” After that, the mother increased the speed so that the smoke rose from the heels. I didn’t mind the child’s comment at all, because it was completely sincere.

He has enough humor with another example.

– There was a little girl in the cafe who peeked at me, and I decided to peek back. After that, the girl cried out to her mother: “Mother, there is a living little granny here.”

Improved attitudes

Haapanen feels that the attitude towards short stature has clearly improved over the years.

– We are better taken into account, although there is of course room for improvement.

– However, I wish there were more parents who would immediately tell their child that staring is ugly.

From the past years, he brings up visits to the bank with great nostalgia.

– Back then there were no waiting numbers yet. It happened to me, for example, that when my turn came, the clerk put a note in the door.

– Sometimes the clerk apologized when I announced that I was still in line, and sometimes not. I think the reason is that they didn’t want to serve short customers.

Haapanen found ways that worked.

– Lipstick and perfume. They worked, I was noticed better.

Today, he has not experienced the threat of violence, but there is one unpleasant situation in his mind from the past years.

– A group of boys surrounded me in the park. I had a school bag with me, which I started carrying around. Fortunately, it worked, and the boys left me alone.

Haapanen wants to help and support others, he is a peer worker of the Disabled People’s Association and an experience worker of Harso ry.

– I myself have received support and help, and because of that I want to give help to others as well. Otherwise, I encourage everyone to seek help and support. It’s not good to stay alone.