Month: December 2020

Categories
Medical

Replace Resolutions with Decisions

Choice: one way or another
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

Most New Year resolutions fall by the wayside by mid-January. So next year, why not break the cycle of failure and replace resolutions with decisions? Let’s think about December 31st in a new light and celebrate it as #MakeUpYourMindDay.

To narrow the scope, this post focuses on decisions that demand due diligence before signing a contract or making a medical decision. Remember, failure to be systematic can be hazardous to both health and safety!

People of faith will always preface every decision with prayer.

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“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

Philippians 4:6, New Living Testament

Homework is not just for kids; it’s a fundamental step in any big decision. For example, those looking to buy an accessible vehicle in which to load a wheelchair or scooter need to gather facts on the many options—a van or a car, a lift or a ramp, hand controls or pedal extensions, new or pre-owned? Homework involves an evaluation of physical abilities, financial resources, and businesses specializing in vehicle modifications.

It’s good to talk to people who have walked the same road you’re on. Disability support groups and social media are great resources for finding people ready to share their experience. Three private and moderated Facebook groups come to mind—Dwarfism, Dwarfism Surgeries & Pain Management, and Meg’s Support Group for People with Disabilities. In the case of a doctor recommending a specific medication or surgery, ask group members for their opinion on the doctor, hospital, and medical plan of action. Find out if they were helped or harmed.

“A wise man will hear and increase in learning,
And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,”

Proverbs 1:5, New King James Version

For complex and difficult decisions, consultation with experts is critical. For example, when dealing with a physical and/or mental health condition that precludes working, the expertise of doctors, representatives, and/or lawyers is needed to navigate Social Security benefit applications and, if necessary, appeals.

A risk/benefit analysis is imperative when making decisions about surgery and medication. Make a list of the pros and cons based on your own assessment of side effects, pain, and mobility; medical advice; manufacturer warnings in patient literature; testimonials from past patients; and the likely outcome if the recommended treatment is declined. Fear is a factor, but should not push us away from beneficial treatment.

Once you’re hovering over a particular decision, sleep on it until you have peace of mind. Finally, after you’ve made a decision, don’t question whether it was the right one. Trust the process of allowing God to lead you to the right decision.

“A man’s mind plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.”

Proverbs 16:9, Revised Standard Version.

Let’s make 2021 a time to make wise medical decisions for ourselves and be available to help those doing due diligence on their decisions.

For more of my writings, go to https://angelamuirvanetten.com where you can subscribe to my weekly blog and find several retail links to my book, “Pass Me Your Shoes: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith.”

Categories
Celebrations

Finding Joy at Christmas

Christmas joy

Many people look forward to Christmas all year long.  Every December 26th my father began the countdown saying, “There are only 364 days until Christmas.” But is there joy in Christmas 2020?

Although Christmas cards, the annual family photo, and newsletters can still be mailed, hundreds of thousands are too sad to write or take photos given the death of loved ones who succumbed to COVID-19 during the year. And for those who did not lose loved ones, the loss of jobs and income makes the cost of buying and mailing a card unaffordable.

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Santa sends letters to children from Santa Claus House in the North Pole, Alaska. But pandemic safety restrictions cancel sitting on Santa’s lap and limit greetings to Zoom, or seeing Santa wearing a mask through plexiglass. Where’s a child’s joy in that? 

Does the daily pick of Christmas stories on TV bring joy? Or are they just a predictable 90 minutes watching families come home for the holidays, buy gifts, donate to charity, bake cookies, drink hot chocolate, climaxed by an unexpected romance ending with a kiss?

Neighborhoods sparkle with Christmas lights, Santas, sleighs, reindeer, and snowmen. But is there joy in the morning? The lights are off and the blow-up figures lay collapsed on the ground. Nativity scenes are hard to find. Not even the traditional Christmas stamp from the United States Postal Service bore any resemblance to the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus revealed in Scripture.

Live Christmas trees are in plentiful supply for the 30 million plus people expected to buy one this year. Perhaps the trend away from “fake” trees is a sign that people are looking for something real this year—something filled with fragrance, life, and joy.

So where do people go to find the true joy of Christmas? The answer is church— the most likely place to hear the Christmas story in Luke 2:9-12:

“Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared in radiant splendor before them, lighting up the field with the blazing glory of God, and the shepherds were terrified!  But the angel reassured them, saying, “Don’t be afraid. For I have come to bring you good news, the most joyous news the world has ever heard! And it is for everyone everywhere!  For today in Bethlehem a rescuer was born for you. He is the Lord Yahweh, the Messiah. You will recognize him by this miracle sign: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a feeding trough!” 

The Passion Translation

This good news is heard by regular church attendees and 124.4 million CEOs (Christmas and Easter Only). They come to hear Jesus message of full inclusion—for everyone everywhere—seniors and youth, poor and rich, weak and strong, disabled and able,  people of all colors and languages. The joy is in believing that Jesus came to rescue us all. 

So where will you go this Christmas to hear the most joyous news the world has ever heard?

For more of my writings go to https://angelamuirvanetten.com to subscribe to my blog for automatic delivery of weekly posts to your email inbox and for retail links to my book, Pass Me Your Shoes: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith.

Categories
Motivation

Underdog Motivation

can vs can't
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

People with disabilities have a lot in common with underdog athletes. When someone says “you can’t,” we counter with “I can.” We know we have the ability to compete.

As the all-time favorite underdog, Buster Douglas fought the 1990 heavyweight boxing championship match believing he could beat the undefeated Mike Tyson, the 42-1 favorite. When Douglas knocked Tyson out for the win his underdog hand was raised high declaring him the champion.

Baker Mayfield, a National Football League Quarterback, said it well: “I was the undersized underdog who people never gave a chance. From that the motivation to prove people wrong just grew and grew.”

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Likewise these seven people with disabilities believed they could win and were motivated to prove people wrong.

  1. DJ Gardner, an amputee without arms, manages a carpet cleaning business and uses his feet for daily living activities. Gardner ignored the doubts people had about him. His advice? “Don’t let obstacles stop you, there’s always a way around it, through it, under it . . . it can be done.”
  2. Josh Sams, an amputee without lower legs, was not expected to walk again. But after dozens of surgeries and months of rehabilitation he defied medical expectations and can walk with prosthetics.
  3. Dan Mancina lost 90 percent of his vision while working as a professional skateboarder. Even though most people assumed blindness would end his career, he continues to skate.
  4. When her daughter with dwarfism started school, Erin Pritchard’s mother was told that Erin wouldn’t achieve anything. She was assumed to have low intelligence. Erin showed otherwise by earning a PhD, teaching at a university, and writing a book— Dwarfism, Spatiality and Disabling Experiences—now available on Amazon.com.
  5. For two years Todd Scanlon, a man with Down Syndrome, begged a contractor for work as a scaffolder. Finally, the contractor gave Todd a chance and discovered that his disability didn’t hold him back. Todd did all the tasks required of him, got on with the guys, and began an apprenticeship to earn his qualifications.
  6. Katherine Wolf had a small chance of surviving a brain stem stroke that affected her vision, hearing, and mobility. She chose to go with what she had and found joy in her new life, rather than wish for her old life.
  7. The parents of 15-year old Melanie Jacobs were told to prepare for her funeral when she developed a rare debilitating condition. Fifteen years later she is alive and well. Melanie became a top model who used a wheelchair. She refused to accept the prognosis that she’d never walk again and underwent surgery that made walking possible.

The lyrics of Alicia Keys “Underdog” 2020 release capture the underdog’s spirit:

“They say I would never make it
but I was built to break the mold.’
. . .This goes out to the underdog
Keep on keeping at what you love
You’ll find that someday soon enough
You will rise up, rise up, yeah.”

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:13, New Living Translation

This post was inspired by #NationalUnderdogDay. To read more of my writings, go to my website at https://angelamuirvanetten.com, subscribe to my weekly blog, and find retail links to my book, Pass Me Your Shoes: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith.

Categories
Disability Rights Inclusion

From Minus one Million to Plus Seven Million

Education
Image by Ernesto Eslava from Pixabay

The last 55 years has drastically changed the educational landscape for American children with disabilities. In 1975, one million were excluded from the public school system and, by 2018, almost seven million received special education services.

For centuries, children with disabilities were considered unteachable and not worth educating. For example, children with dwarfism were often hidden at home or destined for display as freaks or entertainment in the circus. Schools were not required to make accommodations and many children were sent to special schools that offered a separate and unequal education.

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So what accounts for the drastic change? The answer points squarely to the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act on December 2, 1975 (later renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA). The law passed because the federal government decided it was in the national interest to help States and localities provide programs to meet the educational needs of children with disabilities. IDEA mandated that children with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment.

So with December 2nd now designated as #SpecialEducationDay, the focus is on IDEA’s implementation. It’s one thing to get a law passed, it’s quite another for it to be followed. As a former special education advocate, I attended hundreds of Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings to resolve IDEA’s hot button issues on student eligibility, placement, accommodations, services, and fidelity.  

In determining whether a student is eligible for special education services, parents and school personnel often disagree. Psychological and/or neurological evaluations are needed to resolve the dispute. Once eligibility is settled, an annual IEP is written to document the student’s free and appropriate public education. Measurable goals and objectives are included to ensure the student makes meaningful progress. The IEP also contains needed services, placement, and accommodations.

Placement is an individualized assessment based on the needs of each student. It is by far the most contentious IEP issue as it wrestles with the mandate that students be educated in the least restrictive environment. IEP teams decide what percentage of the day a student will be educated in a regular classroom, a separate special education classroom, a combination of the two, a separate school for children with disabilities, virtual school, or hospital homebound.

Inclusion in regular classes is IDEA’s default position and a student will only be segregated from their peers when the special education services are more appropriate in another setting. School district budgets and resource allocations are not supposed to be part of the equation. But sadly, students are often relegated to separate classes or schools because funds are not available to support the student’s needs in the regular classroom or neighborhood school.

Although a lot of progress has been made since 1975, there is a long way to go before students with disabilities are assured equal protection under the law. Advocacy is needed to secure adequate funding for special education. Vigilance is vital to ensure children with disabilities are identified early and receive equal education opportunities. For more of my writings go to https://angelamuirvanetten.com where you can subscribe to my weekly blog and find several retail links to Pass Me Your Shoes: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigate Life’s Detours with Love and Faith.