Issue date: 2/3/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Jon Eilts Amy Roloff from The Learning Channel's "Little People, Big World" speaks Monday in Rudder Auditorium as a part of Social Justice Week. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Jon Eilts Students respond positively to the speech and question and answer session given by Amy Roloff Monday in Rudder Auditorium. [Click to enlarge]

As one of the United States' well known little people, Amy Roloff is using her platform to encourage people to accept themselves and be the best that they can be with what they have.

Roloff, a star on The Learning Channel's reality television show, "Little People, Big World," spoke to students and faculty Monday in Rudder Auditorium in association with the Department of Student Activities' Social Justice week.

"We're much more of an open society now," Roloff said. "We're getting closer and closer. I truly do not believe discrimination will ever completely end, but if we can continue to be aware of and close that gap, what a much better society, where we are able to interact, it will be."

Despite the challenges present with being a little person, Roloff said her disability has been one of her greatest teachers.

"You know, you usually want to get rid of it, you wish it would go away, but you can't change it so why fight it?" she said. "Learn to embrace it, accept it and really look at the advantage that you can have."

Roloff said that embracing her disability has helped her to reach out and help others, especially those with disabilities.

"It's really about your own attitude, about yourself," she said. "Because how can you reach out to other people if you yourself haven't really accepted you and your limitations? How can you continually grow within in order to help other people?"

Roloff said there are advantages and disadvantages of being on a reality television show with her family.

"(The television crew) definitely knows a whole lot more about my life than some of my friends and family," she said. "The downside of putting your life out there is you get over-scrutinized, you get over-analyzed, any little itty bitty thing you do can be picked out and be plastered over who knows what else."

"I think the benefits outweigh the negative," Roloff said. "With all the positive feedback I have received, I think it continues to humble us and be hopefully a positive example for a lot of people. I think we've been able to meet a lot of people, encourage a lot of people, inspire a lot of people unknowingly."

In her speech, Roloff stressed the importance of what students can do to help those with disabilities.

"What are you going to do when you're one day a manager, and you have two people coming to you with very similar resumes, very similar qualifications and one has a disability? Are you going to be as open and as willing to look past that outside package, that box that they have to live with all of their life, and maybe choose to hire that person over the person that has no issues?"

Student reaction to Roloff's presentation was enthusiastic.

"She was very motivational yet modest at the same time," said Kelly McKee, a sophomore biomedical science major. "Being famous is still new to her. She's just a normal person."

Alfredo Ribota, a sophomore international studies major, said Roloff helped him to understand her disability better.

"She gave a lot of points about her disability and how she has to deal with things for a normal person, but people don't see that," he said.

Freshman business major Jakob Rosenberg said Roloff's speech was inspirational.

"She's short but she has stature," he said. "She was very gracious."

Roloff said she hopes students will walk away with encouragement to be the best they can be in whatever they do and to not get caught up with outside appearances.

"It's learning about yourself, accepting you for who you are, what you've been given," she said. "We're always trying to change ourselves, to meet someone else's expectations or meet what society thinks we should be, instead of, 'I'm going to take what I have and be the best that I can be with what I've got because that's good enough.'"

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