To help overcome this isolation, the Restricted Growth Association organises events for its members. "People of restricted growth" is less likely to upset anyone, but some dislike being defined by their medical condition. They may prefer to be called "small people", or "people of short stature". The Americans use the term "little people", but that has few converts here.As so many dwarfs are born to parents of average height, it is common for them not to know any other small people when young. The word "dwarf" is regarded as insulting by some people, but not by others. It does not affect mental ability.There is no consensus in Britain about what to call people with these conditions.

It's estimated that the national dwarf population numbers about 30,000. Seventy-five per cent of these babies are born to parents of average height, who normally have no history of dwarfism in the family. The condition is rarely spotted in the womb, with most parents told a few days after birth The news is not always broken sympathetically. One mother gave birth to a baby with restricted growth last Christmas. The following day the paediatrician told her and her husband that their baby was achondroplastic. When they asked what that meant, he said, "Circus child."Achondroplasia is the most common form of dwarfism, but there are almost 100 other conditions that cause short stature. In most of these conditions, cartilage and bone development is inhibited.

It is caused by genetic mutation and may affect other areas of the body, such as the shape of the head. She had wanted to work with dogs, but no kennels would take her on because of her height. Some prospective employers laughed when she turned up, while others told her that the job had gone. Today there may be less overt discrimination in the workplace, but the whispers and jokes persist.The protesters at tomorrow's lobbying of Parliament have singled out the medical profession as particularly tactless. "It was the first time that I had met other little people - 42 of them in one go," she says. "It was fantastic - to be able to look people in the face and to have a dance with a fella my own size." But after a few films, she changed her mind about her acting career "When I made the film, I just saw stardom And I was paid lots of money.