KOTA KINABALU: Emy Aridah Aripin, 35, has conquered various peaks including Mount Kinabalu and several others, despite only standing 98 cm tall.
The accountancy degree holder also drives a modified car to get to work at UMS Investment Holdings Sdn Bhd and when visiting her family members at her hometown at Kampung Inuman, Beaufort.
But as a member of the Sabah Little People Association, which was established in 2021, Emy hopes to make the voices of people like her heard.
While Emy was lucky to receive kindness and acceptance from those around her, she is aware of the discrimination that people with dwarfism face in public, including negative comments and stares.
Emy said that people with dwarfism can be equally qualified for employment as others.
When she was in college, Emy initially considered a diploma in marketing, but the director had advised her to switch to accounting, a more suitable career path for individuals with dwarfism.
"Due to mobility challenges, the director advised me to change courses as marketing required extensive interaction with people and travel.
"Finding a job in the private sector can be challenging for individuals with dwarfism because most offices do not offer facilities designed for little people, " she told the New Straits Times.
The association, which has about 20 members, is also organising various skills training programmes such as handicraft and sewing to enable members to learn skills.
Apart from job opportunities, Emy also hopes that the design of public facilities in Sabah such as toilets and lifts would also be considered for the people with dwarfism, thus encouraging the group to be more social and venture outside.