Is use of the word "dwarfism" considered offensive?

Solution 1:

I've never heard of the word dwarfism being considered offensive or objectionable, in and of itself. For example, WebMD has an article on "dwarfism" and it mentions that the term is officially used by an advocacy group, "Little People of America." When it comes to people with widely recognized medical conditions like achondroplasia, dwarfism seems like it would definitely fit and be appropriate. Aside from being more easily understood, in my opinion it's also useful to have a word that covers the general condition without specifying the cause (achondroplasia is only one type of dwarfism).

As far as I can tell, the term dwarf to describe an individual with dwarfism is also not considered offensive in general, although some people might prefer to be described with other terms. There were mixed answers about it on this Quora post: "Are both the terms "dwarf" and "midget" considered offensive?" The main term that I know of that is definitely advisable to avoid in this area is "midget." I have read that many little people/people with dwarfism consider it extremely offensive (and the Quora answers back that up).