More than a dozen people in their support group on Facebook, Little People of America, also shared similar experiences with Småland at other IKEA locations in the country, Crowder said. “It started out as a negative experience and we weren’t sure where it was going to go.” “I was very impressed with their response both in the timeliness and in how quickly they eradicated the situation,” she said. She stressed that all interactions with IKEA were cordial, and she appreciated the corporate staff’s swift response. “He’s not invisible kids aren’t going to bump into him so hard he gets hurt any more than any other kid in there.”Ĭrowder said the company’s response was prompt, apologetic and respectful.
He’s not going to drown in them,” Crowder said.
They were also worried he might get stuck in the ball pit. She said staff were concerned Ladd could be injured if another child turned around too quickly and bumped into him. This seemed arbitrary and unfair to me.”Ĭrowder said this was the first time her son was denied to enter a play area because of his dwarfism. “I understand height and size restrictions for things like (safety) totally reasonable and logical. “I said, ‘Isn’t that disability discrimination to not let him in because he has short legs due to a genetic condition?’,” Crowder said. When the Crowders had explained their son’s disability and requested if they could make an exception for Ladd, staff insisted it was corporate policy because it’s unsafe for him. Rollie Crowder (left) and his brother, Ladd Crowder, who has dwarfism. Ladd will be 8 years old before he would be tall enough to enter Småland, she added. Whitney Crowder, an Overland Park native, said her son’s condition only impairs his height otherwise, it has no effect on his ability to play with other children. “At IKEA, we value and respect all dimensions of diversity, and we are constantly evolving and adapting our policies to be more inclusive.” The updated policy was in effect as of March 25, 2019, in all IKEA U.S. “As a result, our Småland policy has been updated to be more inclusive for children with special needs. “We also recognized this an opportunity to take steps to renew and improve,” the spokesperson said. spokesperson said in a statement that Småland policies are in place to keep children safe, and they have also apologized to the parents for their experience at Småland. They were impressed with the company’s swift and apologetic response and learned that the company was changing their policy to be more inclusive.Īn IKEA U.S. Ladd has dwarfism he is 34 inches tall, just 3 inches below the height requirement. Photo courtesy of Whitney CrowderĪfter being denied twice in two days because staff said their son, Ladd was too short to enter Småland, the Crowders emailed the IKEA corporate office. Brothers Rollie and Ladd Crowder stand next to height requirement at IKEA. She and her husband, Trevor Crowder, tried to drop off their two sons, both age 4, at IKEA Småland, the children’s playplace where employees watch patrons’ children while they shop. Whitney Crowder and her family were visiting the area from Omaha in early March and decided to stop by IKEA. One woman’s experience at the IKEA in Merriam with her 4-year-old son who has dwarfism turned into a company-wide policy change that makes the children’s play area more inclusive. Whitney Crowder and her two 4-year-old sons, Rollie (left) and Ladd.
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