Month: June 2024

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Review and Revise

Blog

Four years ago in July, my first blog post was uploaded. I even guaranteed to remember the first person to write a comment. Thanks to Donna H. for being first and to all the commenters that followed with encouragement and expertise.

I prayed that this blog would be a positive experience for readers and help bring me closer to those who share my passion. If the eight guest posts and 446 comments on 200 plus posts are any indication, I’d say these prayers have been answered.

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My motivation for writing this blog is to be a voice for people with dwarfism and other disabilities, guided by faith and justice. I have ventured to do this by incorporating excerpts from my dwarfism memoir trilogy—Dwarfs Don’t Live in Doll Houses, Pass Me Your Shoes, and Always An Advocate—and writing original material related to calendar events, my activities, and issues crying out for attention.

Readers can subscribe to the blog or see links to posts on social media. It’s a great boost when posts are shared in a reader’s own network. Totally unexpected was the thrill of Feedspot selecting my blog as one of the Top 100 Disability Blogs on the web! As a result, a link to one of my posts is regularly featured in a Feedspot email.

It’s hard to predict how well a post will be received. Sometimes I’m surprised when a post either garners no response or racks up numerous comments. I’ve concluded that people relate best to posts with personal stories. This is apparent from three posts with the most comments:

  • First: First Time (July 27, 2020).
  • Second: Crashing Into My 70th birthday (August 28, 2023).
  • Tied for third:
    • Finding Hugo (September 26, 2022).
    • Celebrate People Blessed with Down Syndrome (March 22, 2021).

Writing a weekly post has been challenging for many reasons, but I’ll only mention two. On the health front Robert and I both had a brush with death and stint in ICU. Robert for end stage renal disease requiring dialysis three times a week, and me for COVID-19 that put me into a coma. We have also weathered multiple surgeries. For me it was about the eyes—cataracts, laser, and vitrectomy leaving me totally blind in my left eye; for Robert it was about his bladder. Physical therapists have worked with Robert at home off and on to strengthen his legs to stop falling and regain mobility. Despite best efforts, Robert no longer drives and I don’t drive at night. I have also picked up the caregiver role for his personal and medical needs.

The second time guzzler relates to publication of my dwarfism memoir trilogy. Writing was the easy part, but connecting with readers involves book launches, book reviews, media interviews, presentations, and networking—all necessary but time consuming tasks.

I mention all this as background to my decision to reduce the frequency of future posts from weekly to the first and third Mondays. This will ease scheduling pressure and increase post quality.

Image credit: Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

You can read past posts or subscribe to future posts on Angela’s blog at https://angelamuirvanetten.com/blog/.

Categories
Little People of America

Dwarfism Pride Flag Depicts Diversity and Unity

Pride flag dwarfism

Flags have been in the news recently, but this post is not about political protests. And even though prompted by the American celebration of Flag Day on June 14, today’s focus is on a new flag representing dwarfism and Little People of America (LPA).

LPA unveiled a Dwarfism Pride Flag on International Dwarfism Awareness Day (October 25, 2023). It’s “a conceptual and inclusive abstract representation of the dwarfism community, emphasizing both its diversity and unity, as well as the significant role of allies and supporters.” LPA gave four rationale for the flag’s creation:

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  1. Visibility and Recognition: A flag helps raise awareness and promotes visibility, making it easier for people to identify and recognize our cause. 
  2. Unity and Pride: It can foster a sense of belonging and solidarity, reminding us that we are part of a larger movement working towards positive change.
  3. Advocacy and Representation: Our flag can be a powerful tool for advocacy and representation. 
  4. Symbol of Hope: A flag can inspire hope and provide a sense of empowerment to individuals with disabilities. It represents resilience, strength, and the determination to overcome challenges.

LPA recruited two graphic designers who are LPA members and individuals with dwarfism—Jon Morato and Margo Drew. In a video interview Jon and Margo shared their vision for a simplistic and iconic flag design that (1) represents the dwarfism community; (2) incorporates and connects with LPA’s brand; and (3) is distinct from other pride flags. Both felt the weight and importance of the task to create something that represented diversity and the progress that LPA has made. And as they hoped, the flag design is something the dwarfism community can be very proud of and rally behind.

The Dwarfism Pride Flag is not only visually pleasing, but also symbolizes various aspects of LPA and the dwarfism community. Unlike horizontal stripes on traditional flags, the colors and stripes run vertically to draw attention to the common trait that makes people with dwarfism stand out from society—short stature. Although stature brings little people together, community members have 200 plus different types of dwarfism. This variation is represented with blocks differing in size, color and shades in a unified arrangement to show togetherness as a community.

The blue stripe on the far left side of the flag is the spine, the backbone, that recognizes the integral role allies, friends and family play in supporting LPA at the national and local levels. The 13 color blockings match the number of LPA districts. Green ties in with the color of LPA’s brand and dwarfism awareness activities.

When unveiling the flag, LPA leadership stated:

“Seeing our flag flying reminds us that we are not alone, and a supportive community is fighting for our rights. It is a rallying point for our members and allies, igniting a sense of pride and determination to create a more inclusive society.”

So let’s be proud of our visibility and fly the Dwarfism Pride Flag to represent our unity in diversity, advocate for inclusion, and symbolize hope.

This post was informed by the following sources:

Categories
Disability Rights

Halt Traffic Violence to Vulnerable Pedestrians with ADA Enforcement

Pedestrian crossing

“The equivalent of more than three Boeing 737s full of people fell from the sky every month in 2022.” Smart Growth America.

This analogy highlights the tragedy of 7,508 pedestrian deaths, the highest number in 40 years. Among the deceased were those vulnerable to traffic violence—people with dwarfism, users of wheelchairs and mobility scooters, and those age 50 plus. Consequently, week 2 (June 9-15) of National Safety Month’s focus on Roadway Safety is the ideal time to zoom in on pedestrian safety.

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As a person who fits all three of these vulnerable categories, I’m well aware of danger when crossing the street or walking behind cars in a parking lot. I’m invisible to drivers and can’t walk or ride fast enough to escape vehicles hurtling towards me or backing out of a parking space. The risk of harm is not exaggerated. I know two Past Presidents of Little People of America who were pedestrian accident victims: Mary was killed and Marge was seriously injured.

In 2024 alone, America’s media is replete with reports of fatal collisions between vehicles and pedestrians using a wheelchair or mobility scooter. Georgetown University research in 2015 revealed that crashes are 36 percent more likely to kill a pedestrian using a wheelchair than pedestrians on foot. This is possibly explained by the torso and head of a wheelchair user or Little Person being struck directly compared to a walking pedestrian being slammed in the thighs and pelvis area.

So let’s look at what makes pedestrians of short stature, traversing on wheels, or aging more vulnerable to traffic violence:

  • More time to cross is needed and current traffic light timings are set to the average walking speed of a younger person without physical disabilities.
  • It’s harder to be seen by drivers especially when lighting is poor.
  • Inability to react as quickly as walking pedestrians.
  • Wheelchair users are often forced to ride on streets when sidewalks are either nonexistent or in disrepair; or curb cuts are either absent or blocked by parked vehicles.
  • Stiff joints and muscles make it harder to check traffic.

Smart Growth America has concluded that “This epidemic continues to grow worse because our nation’s streets are dangerous by design, designed primarily to move cars quickly at the expense of keeping everyone safe.”Yet Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)—a comprehensive disabilities civil rights law—is designed to prohibit disability discrimination by states and local governments. As a result, such entities must design roads, sidewalks, curbs, crosswalks, and other infrastructure, to be accessible to people with disabilities.

In addition to vulnerable pedestrians following road rules and taking precautions to be seen by drivers, let’s advocate for accessible communities as follows:

  • Contact your Public Works Department about sidewalks, signals, and signs needing improvement.
  • Write a letter to the editor of your newspaper.
  • Contact your Mayor, City Council, or County Commission and ask for a Walkable Community Program and ADA enforcement.
  • Join a citizen’s pedestrian committee.
  • Whatever else comes to mind.

Image credit: Pexels from Pixabay

This post was informed by the following resources:

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Open

Finish Reading More Books

AAA audio cover

If you’re anything like me you have multiple books waiting to be read. They’re either stacked on a table, lined up on a bookshelf, or downloaded onto your e-book reader. You truly plan on reading them, but never quite get around to it. Now I have an idea for how to get these books off the “want to read” pile. Here it is in three simple words: Audiobook Appreciation Month.

According to the Audio Publisher’s Association 2018 survey, (1) 57% of audiobook listeners agreed that “audiobooks help you finish more books;” and (2) the top three activities while listening to audiobooks are: driving (65%), relaxing before going to sleep (52%), and doing housework/chores (45%). Other common multi-tasking activities include commuting, exercising, gardening, and walking.

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Road trips are a great opportunity to listen to audiobooks. In 1996, I fondly remember a family drive when we took turns reading out loud from Dr. John Gray’s print book, “Men are From Mars, Women are from Venus.” We never actually finished the book as the two couples in the car kept interrupting whoever was reading to add their commentary. Two years later, I could have avoided getting car sick while reading and listened to Dr. Gray himself narrate an audiobook edition.

It’s no surprise that audiobooks have their own appreciation month. The audiobook industry is worth more than two billion dollars and is expected to hit 35 billion dollars by 2030! June was chosen as the celebration month as it coincides with the beginning of summer, vacations, and reading programs.

Despite being costly to produce—an average of $300 to $400 per finished hour of production—audiobooks remain affordable. About 40% of all audiobooks are consumed through public libraries that offer free downloads. And audiobook apps like Speechify, Audible, Audiobooks, and Kindle typically offer free membership for 30 days and credits which can be exchanged for a title of your choice.

So are you ready to finish more books by listening to an audiobook this summer? May I humbly suggest that you listen to the audiobook I wrote and narrated: “Always an Advocate: Champions of Change for People with Dwarfism and Disabilities.” It’s available on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. But first listen to a retail sample of me reading an excerpt from Chapter 14, “Let Me Ride” discussing my experience at a Saul Alinsky training advocating against inaccessible public bus transportation.

https://bit.ly/3KuvRpj

And then read Marsha’s May 2022 audiobook review:

“Angela Muir Van Etten’s audiobook is a real eye opener. You get to know Angela through her words and, even better, to enjoy her distinctive New Zealand accent as she reads her story. Angela details her struggles inside and outside the disabled community and doesn’t whitewash the challenges she and other Little People face as individuals and as a group as they coalesce to bring about societal changes and remove architectural barriers that most of us never even see. . . I know this is the last book in a trilogy but it can’t be the last one she writes! Keep on keeping on Angela!”

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