Ojai Valley News 

Wednesday, April 12, 2000

PEGGY O'NEILL, center front, her husband Brad (to her left) and students of Oak Grove explore what it's like to be different.

Students at Oak Grove School were privileged to spend a morning recently with Peggy O'Neill, a dynamic "little person" in a big world.  O'Neill, a new Ojai resident who is 3 feet 8 inches tall, shared many of her life experiences an challenged the children to explore new ways of responding to people who are different from themselves.

She talked about what it is like to be under 4 feet tall as an adult and how she has met the many challenges life has brought.

In response to her story of being teased as a girl, Oak Grove students discussed more caring ways to reach out to someone who is physically different from them in any way.

"Why not say, 'Hi, how are you?"' asked a first-grade boy. Other suggestions included waving and saying, "What's your name?" -- or asking if the person might want to play.

O'Neill addressed a wide variety of diversity issues while wearing a green wig, huge glasses and talking about the ways in which people all over the world are different. She stressed that every individual is unique and has a special talent.

"Each of you has a diamond inside," she said, "that represents the very special and wonderful person you are. If you ever feel bad about yourself, close your eyes and see your diamond shining."

She suggested that she is "small outside, but big inside," and that this is how all of us can live, regardless of size, appearance or the circumstances of our lives.