Author: Angela Van Etten

Staying Safe in Church

Churches are a haven for God’s people and a target for those who hate them. As a result, responsible churches have taken Jesus words to heart:

“Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves.” ∞ Matthew 10:16 (Holman Christian Standard Bible).

Knowing that Satan will do whatever he can to destroy a church, shrewd leaders have taken many steps to keep parishioners safe—mandatory criminal background checks for children and youth workers, safety patrols barring entry of unauthorized people during Vacation Bible School, and volunteers trained to counter an active shooter, to name a few.

In the COVID-19 pandemic, safety involves six feet social distancing, frequent hand washing, and wearing cloth face masks. So why would a church reopen after a mandatory lockdown to slow the spread without a key element of government safety protocols—asking people to wear face masks? Is it political, a distrust of the government and media, an expression of personal freedom, or something else? Whatever the reason, this choice does not meet the “harmless as doves” standard. It forces high-risk people—due to disability, being age 65 or older, or both—who depend on others to wear masks, to keep a safe distance at home.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, without a cloth face covering, a person in close proximity to another can spread the virus through their mouth or nose when they breathe, speak, or sing. Even with a social distancing policy, people still get close to each other when they bunch together in a line, pass each other in a hallway, or are together in a bathroom.

Individual decisions not to wear a mask have the effect of excluding high-risk people from church and run counter to God’s law of liberty and love discussed in Romans 14. Paul talked about different beliefs on eating and honoring special days that resulted in church members judging and despising one another. He reminded believers that they do not live for themselves and asked them not to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

Today people have different beliefs on wearing face masks. And we need to consider that those who believe they are free not to wear a face mask are hurting members who believe they cannot attend church as a result. ^”For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.” ∞ Galatians 5:13 (New Living Translation)

Together we can make church a safe place for everyone. Look for the October release of my book—PASS ME YOUR SHOES: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith—which discusses what happens when God intervenes in a marriage complicated by dishonesty, dwarfism, discord, and discrimination. The story speaks to the hearts of everyone, regardless of their differences, difficulties, or legal status.

Disability Rights Inclusion

ADA 30-year milestone

Thirty is a great age—young enough to meet the world head on and old enough to be taken seriously. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) reached this milestone on July 26, 2020—the day when disability rights were finally recognized as civil rights.

At 30, the ADA is old enough to be taken seriously by people who ignore the right of people with disabilities to be fully included at school, in the work-force, or on public transportation, to name a few protected rights.

It is against the law for school districts and colleges to deny equal access to programs or facilities. The photo of a student with a disability can’t be left out of the year book, students must be included on field trips, reasonable accommodations must be provided. Yet the ADA is young enough that people with disabilities are still twice as likely as those without a disability not to finish high school. Disability advocates must fight for student inclusion and accommodations.

The ADA is violated when employers refuse to hire someone because they are perceived as being too short, looking different, talking funny, making customers uncomfortable, or otherwise not fitting in. Yet the ADA is young enough that many people with disabilities ready and able to work are still denied this opportunity. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2019, only 19.3% of people with a disability were employed compared to a 66.3% employment rate for people without a disability. The 7.3% unemployment rate for people with disabilities was double the 3.5% rate for those without a disability.

Federal law is broken when local governments deny people with disabilities access to public transportation. Buses without lifts should not be bought, roads without curb cuts should not be built, door-to-door service should not be denied to those unable to get to a bus stop, taxi companies should not be operating without a sufficient number of accessible vehicles to service customers unable to board regular taxis. Yet the ADA is young enough that people with disabilities are denied access to public transportation all across the country on a daily basis.

At age 30, the ADA can meet the world head on as a powerful tool people with disabilities, families and advocates can use to achieve justice and equality for all. We can’t sit around waiting for somebody else to enforce the rights protected by the ADA. Nothing will change until somebody becomes the someone who cares enough to do something. And that somebody needs to be me! Not me alone, but me and many others working together as a coalition. Not only is the world too big for one person to conquer, the task is so huge that one person will buckle under the weight. Tapping into our collective power is essential.

“So, let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9 (New Living Translation)

Look for the Fall release of my book—PASS ME YOUR SHOES: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith—which discusses what happens when God intervenes in a marriage complicated by dishonesty, dwarfism, discord, and discrimination.

Inclusion

The First Time

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.