Author: Angela Van Etten

Categories
Awareness

Debunk Dwarfism Stereotypes

Clown
  1. Our Height Doesn’t Define Us

Negative names focus on our height: midget, pint-size, runt, shorty, shrimp, and stumpy. But our essence is not measured in inches or based on appearance. Dwarf pride comes from our abilities, character, personality, preferences, heart, soul, spirit, and size.

2. We Are Equal

We are robbed of equality when elevated to a pedestal as heroes or downgraded to victims needing pity and special treatment. Our equality demands acceptance for who we are, inclusion, and accommodations for a level playing field.

3. We Are Not Children

Condescending conversation amplified with a pat on the head, soliciting our response from another adult, and ignoring our presence by reaching over our head to jump the line all need to stop. People with dwarfism must challenge child-like treatment with adult confidence, correction, language, topics, tone, and behavior.

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4. We Are Not All Entertainers (Clowns & Characters)

Little people don’t appreciate strangers offering us a circus job, mistaking us for a performer in a visiting Muppet Show, or inviting us to a Saint Patrick’s Day parade as a leprechaun. Entertainment is one among many career paths little people choose. We are also well represented in professions, trades, service industry, and the arts. We don’t exist exclusively to entertain and amuse the public.

5. We Are Not Needy & Helpless

Little people are not obliged to accept help especially when it’s not needed. Overzealous helpers undermine our independence. We should inform helpers it’s okay to ask if help is needed, but they must accept a “no thanks” reply.

6. We Don’t Only Marry Other Little People

Having height in common is insufficient commonality to make for a happy marriage. People with dwarfism enjoy happy marriages with people of short, average, and tall stature.

7. We Don’t All Know Each Other

An Englishman once told me, “I know your friend.” He was referring to a little person in the UK, a place I had yet to visit and where I didn’t know any people of short stature. Such irrational claims need to be challenged.

8. We Don’t All Look Alike

Many strangers don’t distinguish between us, even when we’re different ages, heights, hair color, and proportions. For example, many little people report being mistaken for reality TV stars, Matt or Amy Roloff from Little People, Big World. It’s important to refute the error, maintain our own identity, and stand our ground when people don’t believe us.

9. We Are Not Carbon Copies Of One Another

Dwarfs do not have the same interests or make the same choices. For example:

  • Some lower kitchen counters and others use stools or climb.
  • Some drive with pedal extensions and others use hand controls.
  • Some couples have biological children, some adopt, and others have no children.
  • In conversation with average-size people, some prefer they kneel down or crouch for eye-to-eye communication and others don’t want any concession to height differences.

10. We Are Not Always Happy

Little people have just as many ups and downs as other people. We don’t all have a happy gene.

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/vectors/clown-crazy-happy-funny-cartoon-1295519/s

This post was based in part on excerpts from the first book in my dwarfism trilogy, “Dwarfs Don’t Live in Doll Houses.” For more of my writings, go to https://angelamuirvanetten.com where you can subscribe to my weekly blog and find information and buy links to my books.

Categories
Character

Employee Theft and Embezzlement

stealing

Employee theft costs employers up to $50 billion annually and negatively affects about 95% of businesses, 75% of employees admit to stealing from their employer at least once, and 60% of employees would steal if they knew they wouldn’t get caught. Clearly the need for National Honesty Day on April 30th has never been greater.

My husband Robert is one of the 22% of small business owners to experience employee theft. The trust and responsibility held by employees in a small business put him at greater risk of being robbed.

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Robert was confident when he hired another little person we had known since she was a teenager as Secretary #7 in his rehabilitation engineering practice serving people with disabilities. He saw no reason to run a background check. Not that it would have exposed a problem; she like 96% of employee thieves had no prior fraud convictions. Robert expected her to do well with her bright personality, four-year degree, personal knowledge of disability issues, and work experience. She was in her 20s and nowhere near 49, an embezzler’s median age.

One of #7’s duties was to prepare checks for Robert’s signature. Her degree made learning the accounting program easy, but did not insulate Robert from becoming a fraud victim; 49% of employee theft is performed by those with a university degree.

After only six weeks of employment, #7 embezzled the first of 21 checks. She took advantage of being in a smaller organization where check and payment tampering is four times more likely. After seven months, #7 was fired for poor performance, unpredictable behavior, and lying. We didn’t know if she was living beyond her means or having financial difficulties, but it was evident that she coveted my new car. In hindsight, we know these were embezzlement red flags.

After #7’s termination, Robert noticed bookkeeping anomalies and requested copies of canceled checks from the bank. We were stunned to see his forged signature on checks totaling $9,164.68. She even forged a check to pay her taxes. And the reason #7 gave for stealing? She needed the money.

Only 16% of companies call the police to launch an employee theft investigation. But Robert agreed to be a support witness in the banks criminal prosecution of #7. She was arrested, charged with 21 felony counts of forgery and altering business records. Although she could have served prison time, a plea bargain led to three years’ probation, counseling, and restitution. Her father was a big part of this generous deal because his restitution payment of $4,000 persuaded the district attorney to plead the charges down to misdemeanors.

We didn’t want #7 to go to prison, but in his victim statement to the judge, Robert recommended community service hoping it would give her an appreciation of those truly in need. We were amazed when she did pay all the court-ordered restitution. The bank manager told us that this almost never happens. According to employee theft statistics, businesses typically get back less than half of their stolen money.

If you’re a victim, get help during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 24-28, 2023. Contact Carla at CILO at 561-966-4288 ext. 125 or email cpazmino@cilo.org.

Image credit: Tumisu from Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/photos/stealing-money-cash-dollar-case-3937735/

This post is based on an excerpt from the second book in my dwarfism trilogy, “Pass Me Your Shoes: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith.” For more information and memoir buy links, go to https://angelamuirvanetten.com where you can also subscribe to my weekly blog.

Categories
Accessibility

Therapeutic Gardening and Accessibility

garden

Gardening was part of my childhood experience: picking violets at grandmas and pansies at home, eating grapes off the vine at nanas and vegetables from grandad’s garden, and admiring my aunt’s azaleas. And those gardening seeds planted in childhood propagated when I was an adult, first with apartment house plants and then outdoor gardens as a home owner.

National Gardening Day on April 14th got me digging into the merits of gardening for people with disabilities. I was drawn to the aesthetics of indoor plants, but never thought about their role in removing air contaminants and increasing humidity in dry areas. I didn’t know plants lowered my stress and blood pressure and improved my mood. For example, my snake plant that relocated with me three times had apparently eliminated air pollutants, reduced tension, and promoted relaxation.

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I knew outdoor gardening supplemented my Vitamin D intake, but had no idea the sun lowers my risk of certain cancers and other maladies. The exercise involved saves me from a gym membership, promotes sleep, helps maintain a healthy weight, reduces stress, and improves cognitive skills.

In recent years, these advantages are recognized as therapeutic horticulture used in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, senior centers, schools, and prisons. Patients with catastrophic injuries are observed to heal faster when they access outdoor spaces with plants. British primary-care doctors often give patients a “social prescription” for gardening as an effective alternative to talk therapy or antidepressants.

However, in order for me to benefit from therapeutic gardening I need a garden that accommodates my inability to kneel, touch my toes, and stand for any length of time. When designing the garden next to our front door, some plants were kept in reach as a border next to the sidewalk and others adjacent to a circular pathway around the garden interior. Underground watering was linked to the lawn sprinkler. Weeding was reduced with mulch. Dead leaves and flowers on the begonias, bromeliads, and anthuriums were plucked with salad tongs. Debris was gathered in a throw away grocery bag. Gardening for the day stopped when the bag was full.

anthurium

For 22 years my tropical garden in our Florida climate thrived. But time has left its’ mark with a broken watering system, ups and downs in the soil level, and spreading plants almost eliminating my pathway. This year’s cold spell almost wiped out some plants and many dead leaves weren’t plucked given my lack of access.

My friend Susan helped me clean up the garden, but going forward accessible features are needed. As a retiree on a fixed income, I need affordable options that don’t involve starting from scratch. To avoid kneeling, bending down, and plants spreading into the walkway, I’m exploring easy watering like a seep hose for containers and a raised bed built to my height with plants that won’t grow out of reach. Hanging planters with a pulley system would be cool. Ergonomic light weight tools with a comfortable grip and long reach range are necessary.

What accessible gardening tips can you add?

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Categories
Awareness

Dwarfs Don’t Live in Doll Houses: 35-Year Anniversary

Dwarfs Don't Live

Written by baby boomer Angela Muir Van Etten, Dwarfs Don’t Live in Doll Houses—published in 1988—has influenced three generations of readers: baby boomers, Gen X, and millennials. The 2021 e-book release makes discovery by Gen Z possible.

Baby boomer Karen described it as “a great book with pride of place on her bookshelf.” After discovering the book in a secondhand bookstore, Millennial Clinton stated, “We picked up this gem because you learn about identity and your people in history by reading the stories and the books they write.” Jenn responded to his Facebook post saying, “I remember this book from when I was a kid!”

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Indeed the book is my history of growing up in New Zealand in the 1950s and 60s. When introducing the digital edition, I alerted readers to consider it as a time capsule for how little people and their families experienced life prior to disability civil rights laws. I anticipated that readers would recognize that despite passage of laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act, human behavior has not changed. Consequently, the book remains relevant for disability issues that continue to this day: acceptance, advocacy, attitudinal and environmental barriers, bullying, dating, dwarf tossing, employment discrimination and reasonable accommodations, inclusion in education et al.

Dwarfs Don’t Live in Doll Houses has led the way in dwarfism memoirs and is probably the first written by a little person. As noted on the back cover it’s “a unique opportunity to see personal, family, school and public life through the eyes of a dwarf from the point of view of a single person.”

At the time of it’s 1988 publication, the memoir was endorsed by a psychologist with dwarfism, Leonard Sawisch; author and anthropology professor, Joan Ablon;the Chairman of the Little People of America (LPA) Medical Advisory Board, Dr. Charles Scott, Jr., and two parents of adult children with dwarfism, LPA National Parent Coordinator, Helen Ference and Elizabeth Elder. Sawisch noted the keen insight into the dwarf experience. Scott applauded the wealth of experience and wisdom made animatedly realistic, personal, revealing and at times humorous. Ablon characterized it as a rare window into the life experiences of a dwarf child, teenager, and young adult. Elder heightened her awareness and confessed to not realistically seeing life as a little person experiences it.

Throughout the years, readers have commented favorably. One mother of a short-statured child told me, “I keep your book by my bedside and refer to it frequently.” Readers with dwarfism report finding wisdom and help. Average height work colleagues appreciated having misconceptions dispelled and being informed of everyday obstacles a little person overcomes. In January 2022, Rebecca wrote on my Goodreads page: “Very thought provoking read. Angela does a good job of bringing the reader into her life. Definitely recommend reading this book to help remind yourself not to “judge a book by it’s cover.”

So how about you? If you’re ready to grab one of the 4,000 print books originally sold, get a used copy at Amazon.com while supplies last.

For more about my dwarfism memoir trilogy read:

A voice for people with dwarfism & disability guided by faith and justice. https://angelamuirvanetten.com

Categories
Awareness

Popular Children’s Books on Dwarfism

Girls reading

“We all need to read books where the heroes are relatable to our own selves. It’s even more important for kids. It helps develop hope, solutions, connection and a strong sense of identity, belonging.”

Meriah Nichols, deaf mom to three children with disabilities

In honor of International Children’s Book Day on April 2nd, I compiled a list of children’s books on dwarfism in order of their popularity on Amazon. A complete booklist is available in the resources section of my website at https://angelamuirvanetten.com/resources/#childrenbooks. Please contact me if you know of books missing from the list.

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Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon 
by Patty Lovell (Author), David Catrow (Illustrator)
August 27, 2001

Molly Lou Melon is short and clumsy. When bullied on her first day in a new school she remembers her grandmother’s advice.
Reading age: 3 – 6 years

Break the Mould: How to Take Your Place in the World
by Sinéad Burke
October 15, 2020

Drawing on her own experiences as a little person, Burke encourages readers to believe in themselves, have pride in who they are, and make the world a more inclusive place.
Reading age: ‎ 9 – 13 years

Being Small (Isn’t So Bad After All) 
by Lori Orlinsky 
February 11, 2022 

A picture book about the shortest kid in the class who is scared to go to school. Her mother instills self-confidence in her by pointing out the advantages of being short.
Reading age: ‎ 2 – 6 years

Short 
by Holly Goldberg Sloan
January 9, 2018

Julia is very short for her age, but she discovers her own sense of self when playing a munchkin in “The Wizard of Oz” after befriending Olive, an adult with dwarfism in the production.
Reading age: ‎ 8 – 12 years

The Thing About Georgie 
by Lisa Graff  
August 26, 2008

A warm and humorous novel starring an unforgettable young boy with dwarfism.
Reading age:‎ 7 – 10 years

Little Imperfections: A Tall Tale of Growing Up Different
by Peet Montzingo & Rockwell Sands 
November 1, 2022 

In this picture book, Montzingo is the only “tall” sibling in a family of little people. He addresses being different, feeling like you don’t fit in, and finding yourself.
Reading age: ‎ 4 years and up

Short Or Tall Doesn’t Matter At All
by Asaf Rozanes
February 3, 2018

This illustrated story delivers the anti-bullying message about a little girl who is picked on in school because she is short and helps young kids understand they are not alone.
Reading age: 3 – 8 years

Mummy There’s a New Girl 
by Danielle Webb
June 24, 2021

When a new girl joins the class, children pick on her for her looks, but one little boy looks past her differences and learns that really – size is no big deal!
Reading age: ‎ Baby – 7 years

Louie’s Together Playground 
by Dr. Nicole Julia (Author), Jeff Crowther (Illustrator)
January 23, 2023

Louie is a llama with dwarfism who, together with his friends, dreams up a plan to bring the very first all-inclusive playground to their town.
Reading age: 2 – 7 years

Image credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/girls-books-reading-read-library-5711423/

Categories
Medical

Appreciating a Doctor Is in a Patient’s Interest

Operation

Gone are the days when we had a family doctor who attended the needs of everyone in the household. Instead I have 17 doctors entered in my phone contacts list, each with their own specialty. Add to that eight doctors unique to Robert and we have a whole classroom of doctor’s being schooled on aging issues and dwarfism.

Where would we be without our cadre of physicians? Good question for National Doctors Day on March 30th, a day set aside every year since 1933 to honor physicians for the work they do for their patients, the communities they work in, and for society as a whole.

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Doctors invest a decade or more in medical training and have student loans averaging around $200,000. Despite healthy physician salaries—averaging $223,000 for primary care and $329,000 for specialists—these loans take years to pay down. Doctors typically work 60 to 70 hours a week thereby sacrificing time with their families and for personal needs.

It’s in the patient’s interest to appreciate the doctors we depend on for our health care needs because they’re quitting medicine in alarming numbers. Nearly half of doctors experience physician burnout caused by bureaucratic tasks, insufficient time with patients, and long hours, to name a few. The 10 to 20 hours a week spent on administration detracts from the most rewarding part of a doctor’s job and their reason for being drawn into the profession in the first place—patient care.

A doctor shortage is exacerbated by the growing number of aging patients and physicians. Patients age 65 or older generally require more specialty care and, in the next five years, 35% of working physicians will be of retirement age. And even before retirement, about one third of doctors report their intention to reduce work hours in the next 12 months. The effects of this shortage are already being felt. Patients often have to wait weeks to get an appointment with a specialist.

There are several steps patients can take to encourage physicians to continue practicing medicine. Please consider doing one or more of the following: 

  • Since physicians rely on online reviews to bring new patients through the front door, take the time to write a fair and accurate review that reflects the positive aspects of your patient experience with the doctor. This will help offset your doctor’s worry about receiving negative reviews.
  • Send thank-you cards to physicians you value.
  • Bring your doctor a red carnation, the representative flower of National Doctor’s Day.
  • Follow your doctor’s sound medical advice so that they don’t feel like you’re wasting their time.
  • Ask your doctor how they’re doing. When I did this at my annual cardiology check-up last month, I was surprised when my cardiologist disclosed his personal struggle navigating a divorce with two teenage children.
  • Pray for your doctors.
  • Make an honorary donation to an organization that would recognize the doctor you honor. For example, worthy candidates would be doctors on Little People of America’s (LPA) Medical Advisory Board, https://www.lpaonline.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106:medical-advisory-board&catid=19:site-content&Itemid=103. They volunteer their time at free medical clinics and workshops at LPA national and regional conferences.

Image credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/operation-operating-room-doctor-540597/

For more of my writings, go to https://angelamuirvanetten.com where you can subscribe to my weekly blog and find information and buy links to my dwarfism trilogy memoir.

Categories
International

War Impact on Disabled in Ukraine

Ukraine map

When Russia invaded Ukraine one year ago we knew it would be bad, but who could have predicted the largest refugee crisis since World War II? At the six month marker, the UN Refugee Agency reported well over a third of Ukrainians (14 million people) as being displaced—half within Ukraine and half across borders. Who knows what the numbers are after one year? Their suffering and pain is unimaginable to those of us living in the comfort and security of our homes. But this post will attempt to bring home a sliver of the tragic reality for people with disabilities left behind in their war savaged country. 

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Many of Ukraine’s 2.7 million people with disabilities couldn’t flee from danger—those with high support needs; disabled children in orphanages; those without transportation, unable to cross the border on foot, and nowhere to go. They were left with insufficient caregivers or without help to navigate stairs in their high rise apartments.

The terror of war is compounded as lack of transportation to metro stations and inaccessible bomb shelters in underground subway stations strand many mobility impaired people in buildings being reduced to rubble and ashes by explosions and fires. People with vision or hearing impairments don’t receive information in accessible formats on emergency evacuation, shelter locations, and how to seek assistance. People with intellectual disabilities don’t respond to air raid warnings because they don’t understand they must get to a bomb shelter.

Necessary routine has been ripped from people with autism. The noise of shelling can cause seizures, screaming, or aggression in those with developmental disabilities. Speech, language and physical therapies are terminated. Education is disrupted for those unable to access online learning offered in mainstream schools. Access to medication and food is limited. Hundreds of hospitals have been destroyed, damaged, and have drastic shortages of staff and live-saving medical supplies.

Add to this the underserved needs of thousands of war wounded joining the disabled ranks. Amputees need surgeries and prosthetics. Spinal cord and burn injuries need specialized care and rehabilitation. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is rampant among war veterans, prisoners, and scarred civilians.

Although the human toll of Russia’s war is colossal, the international response is also gigantic. Weapons are not only being sent to help Ukraine win the war, but humanitarian resources help alleviate the suffering. For example,           

  • Samaritan’s Purse operates an emergency field hospital and has stationed scores of disaster response specialists in the region. 
  • Doctors Without Borders transports patients in a specially fitted medical train to  safer hospitals in the west.
  • Fight for Right arranges delivery of essential medications, financial support and legal advice for more than 4,100 individuals with disabilities.
  • The World Health Organization is replacing some Assistive Technology equipment.
  • Joni and Friends provides in-country support.
  • Revived Soldiers Ukraine brings wounded troops to America for specialized healthcare treatment.
  • I’m adding my name here. How about you? Stopping the war is beyond our control, but we can pray for God’s intervention and show compassion with donations to our preferred humanitarian organization.

“and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.”
Isaiah 58:10 (New International Version)

Image credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/map-ukraine-help-hearts-7106584/

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Categories
Medical

Sleep Your Way to Better Health

Sleep Apnea

Many Americans bemoaned losing an hour of sleep when Daylight Saving Time began on March 12. So Sleep Awareness Week, March 12-18, is timed to encourage us to prioritize sleep to improve overall health and promote the prevention and management of sleep disorders. According to the National Institutes of Health, sleep is as important for good health as diet and exercise.

Twenty percent of Americans have a sleep disorder with half having Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). In OSA the repetitive pauses in breathing are caused by relaxation of soft tissue in the back of the throat that blocks the passage of air. Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) affects less than one percent of people and occurs when the brain doesn’t send the right signals to muscles that trigger breathing.

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Although 22 million people are estimated to have OSA, about 80 percent are undiagnosed. Their lack of oxygen comes with a high mortality risk. Sadly, I knew multiple little people who died in their 40s due to undiagnosed sleep apnea.

Until about 20 years ago, I too was undiagnosed. I didn’t know that my excessive daytime sleepiness put me at twice the risk of having a car accident. But I was jolted awake one afternoon after falling asleep at the wheel and my car veering off the road onto the grass. Thankfully, I didn’t hit a power pole or cross the center line into oncoming traffic and avoided being among the 100,000 auto crashes or 1,550 crash-related deaths the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration annually attributes to fatigue.

I had ignored sleep apnea symptoms like loud snoring, waking up with a dry mouth, and feeling as tired as when I went to bed. I forget if I had trouble remembering. Other symptoms didn’t bother me—insomnia, morning headaches, mood or behavior changes, and lack of energy. Other than being middle aged, common risk factors for sleep apnea were absent—allergies, drug use, family history, being a male, obesity, nasal blockages, large neck circumference, sleeping on my back, smoking, and enlarged tonsils or tongue. But failing to address my sleep apnea symptoms also put me at risk for life-threatening conditions like: diabetes; cardiovascular diseases; psychiatric comorbid diseases; cancer; neurological disorders; and brain damage.

Soon after my wake up call, I had a sleep study and was officially diagnosed with severe OSA. I slept overnight in a sleep clinic dotted with sensors that measured my sleep stages, breathing, muscle movement, and oxygen levels. I was prescribed a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine with a tube blowing pressurized air into a mask and through my airway to keep it open while I slept. 

Adjusting to the CPAP was challenging. However, I was determined to benefit from the health benefits of the device and refused to give up. With the help of a respiratory therapist, I chose a nasal pillow and comfortable headgear. The CPAP came with a compact carry bag making travel easy; airlines have made it a free carry on.

So how well are you sleeping?

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Categories
Accessibility International

International Wheelchair Day Celebration

International Wheelchair Day Celebration

For 15 years, celebrations of International Wheelchair Day on March 1 have occurred around the world, including in Australia, Nepal, Senegal, South Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan, United Kingdom and America. It’s a celebration of the positive impact wheelchairs have in the lives of 5.5 million adult wheelchair users in the United States and more than 130 million  users worldwide. 

            One powerful purpose of the day is to change the mindset of those who perceive a wheelchair as a sad part of someone’s life. Because quite the opposite is true as shown in the following comments of wheelchair users:

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  • “The only sad part about this vital piece of equipment for me, is where we would be without it.” AJ’s Journey.
  • “I am so grateful for my wheels. They have enabled me to do so many things I couldn’t do without them. Pitying me for my chair use makes no sense.”  Hannah Ensor.
  • “Without my wheelchair I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere or do anything. My wheelchair has given me independence, freedom, life.” Wheels2Walking.
  • “My wheelchair is like another part of my body. I love my wheelchair. My wheelchair is called Freeda and she’s not something to pity.” The World of One Room.
  •  “I am not bound or confined to the chair, I am empowered by it.” Michele Lee
  • “My wheelchair liberates me.” Becky
  • “If you took my wheelchair off me I would be disabled! My wheelchair is like my best mate; it enables me to do so much and comes to so many places with me!” Claire Lomas MBE

Misconceptions about those who use wheelchairs are also busted:

  1. Users have various disabilities and are not all paralyzed; leg movement doesn’t make them a fake.
  2. Users may be able to stand or walk short distances and use wheelchairs because walking is exhausting, painful, slow, and the risk of falling makes walking hazardous.
  3. Users are not wheelchair bound or confined; they get out of their wheelchairs for activities like driving, exercising, swimming, sleeping, et al.

Many concede that using a wheelchair can be limiting, but attribute that to lack of access and public attitudes that suck. As Catarina Oliveira observed, “The barrier is not the wheelchair, but the world around the wheelchair”—sidewalks, curb cuts, ramps, bollards blocking accessible paths, and parking.

Considering that the first wheelchairs were developed in Europe in the 1100’s, were common in the 1700s and 1800s, and the 1932 Jenning’s folding wheelchair invention allowed users to roll outside their homes, what excuse is there for not developing an accessible infrastructure? Imagine if cars were mass produced without highways and bridges to drive on.  As Tara Moss opined, “if we made the world even half as accessible for wheelchairs as we have for cars, we’d make a far better world.”

Despite posting almost a week after International Wheelchair Day, it’s never too late to emulate the cause.  Just as every day is International Wheelchair Day forWheelTipsJoe, every day is a good day to take action to make the world a more accessible place for wheelchair users. 

You may also want to follow:

  • WheelTipsJoe (Joe Russel), https://www.facebook.com/joe.russel.921.
Categories
Awareness Disability Rights

Tips for Achieving Positive Media Coverage

Microphone

The media is often the public’s first introduction to little people. The image portrayed will be what sticks in people’s minds when we meet in person. As a result, it’s critical for people with dwarfism to conduct interviews that generate positive pieces in print, digital, online, radio, or television outlets. The following headlines show this can be done:

  • “What’s so bad about being little?”
  • “Short is pretty good: Children with dwarfism learn to stand tall in world proportioned for others.”
  • “Honest Reaction Beats Being Ignored says Little Person Lawyer.”
  • “Little People Group Wants To Show Size Isn’t Everything.”

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During my 40 years in public service as a legal professional and volunteer advocate, I’ve been interviewed almost 11 dozen times on issues related to organizations of people with dwarfism and disabilities, my Winston Churchill Fellowship, marriage, employment, dwarf tossing, public transportation, and publication of my dwarfism trilogy memoir. This experience informs the views expressed in this post.

Before deciding to do a media interview, I consider the reputation of the media outlet. If I don’t believe my message will be fairly presented, I decline the interview. This doesn’t mean I avoid forums with an opposing viewpoint, rather I strive for an equitable hearing. However, I do steer clear of outlets inclined to sensationalism and erroneous reporting, such as the paper with this headline about a doctor: “He turns Dwarfs into Giants.”

After agreeing to be interviewed, I focus on my objective—to educate the public or advocate change for people with dwarfism and disabilities. Preparation is the key to meeting this goal. I must be ready to share my message with reporters who don’t know what questions to ask and push back against reporters who ask questions based on a presumption that our lives are miserable. Unless loaded questions about our problems are turned around, little people will continue to be plagued by headlines like this:

  •  “The tall problems of little people.”
  • “Little People Have Big Problems.”
  • “Little People Have Big Woes.”

This is not to say I won’t acknowledge that little people have problems. We do. But to avoid selective reporting on the negative side of my experience, I only mention difficulties that increase the likelihood of effecting change or improving understanding. For example, I often talk about attitudinal barriers that limit my activity. If I mention physical limitations it’s in the context of barrier removal—reasonable accommodations in public facilities or modifications in private spaces.

To avoid the risk of being viewed as sympathy seekers, I stress our similarities, abilities, and equality. It’s better to discuss how we are alike, what people with dwarfism can do, and our equal rights as integrated members of society. This is reflected in the following headlines:

It’s also important to give a quick tutorial on ‘four letter words’ in disability land, —defect, victim, burden, afflicted, abnormal, midget.

For more of my writings, go to https://angelamuirvanetten.com, subscribe to my weekly blog, and find buy links to my dwarfism memoir trilogy.