LPA National Adoption Coordinator
Happy National Adoption Day!
Little People of America (LPA) provides information and support in a variety of ways. The one that’s closest to me personally is the adoption program, which helped my family find our daughter 19 years ago. (She’s awesome, by the way.)
The LPA Adoption program, or some variation of it, has been around since about 1961. Since that time, there have been hundreds of children with dwarfism who have found their families through adoption and LPA.
Want to subscribe to receive blog updates sign up today!
Some parents with dwarfism adopt because they worry about the health implications of having dwarfism and being pregnant. Others look at this possibility because adoption has been such a significant part of LPA’s culture and they are called to become adoptive parents. Typically average height parents adopt within LPA because they already have a child with dwarfism, and they would like them to grow up with a short-statured sibling (or two). However the family decides on adoption, most of the time the decision is solidified when they see the picture of their child for the first time and fall in love. I’ve had the honor of watching that moment several times in my role as adoption coordinator, and every single time it happens, it’s simply magical.
LPA’s role in adoption is more of a facilitator, rather than what a coordinator at an agency does. We don’t provide services like home studies or dossiers, but rather we find children who need families from all over the world, and let LPA members know what the next steps would be in adopting a particular child.
One of the most important topics that LPA helps with regarding adopting a child with a dwarfism or a disability internationally is knowing and emphasizing the correct wording to ensure that the prospective parents’ application is not rejected due to their disability. In China, for example, there are several rules about international adoption–but the one most relevant to our community is that a parent with a disability will not be allowed to adopt a child, unless the parent and child have the same disability. This means that a person with dwarfism will theoretically not be able to adopt a child who has a limb difference or visual impairment. This rule is important to keep in mind when even the disability of the parent and child match, because the paperwork must match as well.
Adoption is magical and lovely and amazing and fantastic, and I feel lucky every day that I have not only made my family complete through adoption, but that I have had the opportunity to watch the magic happen hundreds of times. I am so thankful to have had a front row seat to such love.
For those of you who really think numbers are cool, here are some statistics from the last 15 years:
- LPA has advocated for over 400 children.
- Approximately 350 children have found their forever families.
- About 10% of adoptions through LPA are domestic (USA) adoptions, and 90% are international.
- LPA has advocated for the adoption of children in more than 20 countries.
- Children from China represent about 60% of the international adoptions with Bulgaria coming in a distant second, at 15%.
Anyone interested in discussing an LP adoption with Colleen can email her at adoption.lpa@gmail.com.