Two teenagers met many moons ago. They explored the world with the little they had. They enjoyed the most out of every day and together began to dream of a family and a home. Along the way they found a small house on a beautiful piece of property with a barn. The barn would become the workplace to support the home that would house the kids in comfort. A business was started, money came in and the preparations for a lifelong dream of children was in full swing. Years later the stork delivered a baby girl. They named her Hailey. The couple soon found out that this beautiful baby girl would be always little, but would always have a huge heart. The family was started!

A few years later the stork returned and brought a baby boy. They named him Hudson. Hudson was the final addition to the family and the one that made the family complete. The two children became best friends. They received endless love and snuggles which gave them big hearts. They were taught many things that made them curious. They went on many journeys that made them ready to explore some more.  A couple in love, a home, a daughter and a son and the American Dream is complete!

Family Photo Album

Ty and the team head to Crawford, New York to surprise the Korpai family. After giving birth to Hailey, who was born with dwarfism, Jimmy and Darlene Korpai began advocating for their little girl. They serve as President and Vice President of the New York chapter of Little People of America. They also dream of having a home that offers their happy, playful daughter independence and autonomy.

Hailey is now 5 and the family has added baby brother Hudson. Their house serves as the facility for their Little People of America chapter, so there is a need for it to be able to accommodate little people visitors, as well as Hailey. Designers Paul, Jillian and Ed join Ty and local builders Hearthstone Commercial & Residential Contracting, as well as community volunteers, to change one family's life.

The family is whisked away on a Disney Cruise vacation to the Bahamas. Back home, Pauley has turned the bus into a time machine. Future Paul uses some devices he brought back to help with the house demo. But nothing compares to the present-day excavator that literally brings down the house.

Paul travels to Oregon to meet Matt Roloff, the dad on the popular TLC show Little People, Big World. The Roloff family farm is unique in the way Matt adapted it to make it accessible for his family members of all sizes. Paul enlists Matt's help making the Korpai home as enjoyable as his farm. Jillian and Matt visit Hailey's school to let the family know via video there's a great ADA-compliant playground in the back.

The family goes on a whirlwind trip to New York City. While in the Big Apple, they are surprised by some of their personal heroes, Dr. Jen Arnold and Bill Klein from TLC's The Little Couple, who, along with Ed, show the family that their message of dwarfism is currently flashing across the big, bright boards of Times Square. That's one way to start spreadin' the news. When the family returns home, it's time to MOVE THAT BUS!

Extreme Makeover story covered by PINE BUSH QUARTERLY MAGAZINE

A FEW PHOTOS OF AN AMAZING STORY

Our Story

The Understanding Dwarfism Program started after Jimmy and Darlene Korpai were informed that their daughter has a form of dwarfism. Being average sized parents, they knew absolutely nothing about dwarfism.   Unfortunately, they knew this to be a fact with the majority of our population. It has, therefore, become their mission to figure out creative ways to help educate the general public and help raise awareness to create a brighter future for their daughter and all those that share in this difference – dwarfism.

 HOW IT ALL STARTED

Back in 2010, Jimmy and Darlene printed bi-fold business cards that had basic facts about dwarfism to keep in their pockets to have available when someone asked about their daughter’s size. They felt it was necessary to not leave people wondering, rather to inform them and ultimately educate them. After a few encounters with different people, they realized how the cards opened up conversation and created a change in a person’s view with just a few facts. They wanted to offer more if people were interested. This developed into a website that the cards would lead people to so that they could get a more in-depth look at the entire picture. The connection between the cards and the website became the creation of the Understanding Dwarfism Program.

The web site is now the foundation for a larger educational and awareness program. It can be used as a tool in schools, social discussions, for new parents and in many other areas as a central hub for different educational opportunities. The web site is designed to educate the general public with a simple and direct approach focusing on educating and offering people the opportunity to gain a better understanding.

Today the program does not only educate, but assist those who have interest in being educators themselves. This is done by offering assistance with printed material, photos, banners and creative solutions to catch and keep people’s attention all around the country and eventually around the world. The Korpai family believes that educating is the most effective tool to allow others to gain an understanding and a necessity to improve the lives of those who live with a form of dwarfism.

WHERE WE WERE

In 2011 the UD Program began to pick up momentum. It lent support to a few local programs, attended the 2011 Little People of America National Conference and with the help of their local community, had the UD Center built and the UD program showcased on the television show Extreme Makeover Home Edition. In 2012 the momentum continued by again supporting many local events, New York Towers Basketball Team, local Little People of America Regional Conferences, the Camenga Racing Team ( Dwarfism Awareness race car), the Mark Vogel Second Annual Bike Run, and the Ride with Pride Bike Run with all of their efforts to raise awareness. The program made an impact in supporting the mission of LPA on Dwarfism Awareness, with the help of Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun, by helping to make New York recognize October as Dwarfism Awareness Month.

WHERE ARE WE GOING

Understanding Dwarfism is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization . The program is searching for creative ways to get into the classrooms with an effective educational program. The program is finding clever ways to remove the mystery about dwarfism within the schools and with the students and helping to make others aware of people’s differences in general.

With a successful Facebook page, the program continues searching for ways to send their message to the general public with the aid of othe rsocial media platforms. We look to gain support from other organizations, the LP (Little Person) community, and most importantly from the surrounding communities and the general public. With this support and financial help, we hope to bring the program world-wide to raise awareness in other countries both about dwarfism and the right to celebrate one’s differences.