Do you remember the first time you did something? Rode a bike, got your driver’s license, kissed a boy, spoke in front of an audience, went to church. We all have a list of firsts.
Some of our firsts we look back on with fond memories and others we choose not to remember or repeat. Well today, I’m writing my first blog. Maybe you will be my first reader or the first to write a comment. You can guarantee I’ll remember the first one. I pray that this blog will be a positive experience for readers, especially since I plan to repeat the process every week.
My motivation for writing this blog is to be a voice for people with dwarfism and other disabilities, guided by faith and justice. My goal is to raise awareness and advocate for biblical standards of integrity and justice. When I encounter ignorance, insincerity, and inequity, I am compelled to do something about it—speak up, take action, or write something.
Raising awareness has been my lifelong mission. Typically, the smallest person in the group, for as long as I can remember I have made people aware that staring and name calling cause pain, patting me on the head is demeaning, ignoring me is not an option, and independence is paramount.
Even as a child, I rejected special treatment and patronization. As an adult, I conduct sensitivity trainings with school students, poll workers, business leaders, and volunteers in charitable organizations. Although media interviews help broadcast the message, inaccuracies and victim mentality often dominate the story. This led me to write my own material to educate the public.
Dwarfs Don’t Live in Doll Houses, my first book, covered my early years from birth to a young single adult. It published in 1988 almost seven years after I was married. As a result, some readers were disappointed not to read about the marriage of the President of Little People of New Zealand to the President of Little People of America. I would say, “wait for book two.” Well, it has been a long wait!
Finally, in 2020, PASS ME YOUR SHOES: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith will publish and cover 35 years of my marriage to Robert Van Etten. This book raises awareness on living with dwarfism and disability. A third book—ALWAYS AN ADVOCATE: A Couple with Dwarfism Fight for Independence and Respect—will publish in 2021 and cover 35 years of disability advocacy against discrimination, dwarf tossing, breaking the six-inch reach barrier in public buildings and facilities, and the like.
My prayer is that writing a weekly blog will help bring me closer to readers who share my passion. And that together our voices will increase awareness and advocacy for people with dwarfism and other disabilities.