Categories
Medical

Kitchen Table or ICU Decisions?

ICU

As Benjamin Franklin rightly said: “In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” The difference is we know the date for paying taxes, but not the day our Maker will call us to account for how we have lived. Even so, both days will go better with proper planning. Just as it’s advisable to file an accurate and timely tax return, the process of dying can be ameliorated with an advance directive, known in some parts as a living will—a legal document that explains how you want medical decisions about you to be made if you are unable to make the decisions yourself.

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Now that April 15th is taken care of (unless you’re like me and filed a request for an extension), April 16th is the national day set aside annually to address healthcare decisions. The goal is to (1) encourage and empower people to begin or continue conversations about their wishes for care through the end of life, and (2) educate people on the importance of advance care planning. Unlike missing a tax deadline, there’s no penalty if you don’t take action on April 16th, but there’s a clear advantage to observing the day so that healthcare professionals respect and meet your wishes.

Notably, healthcare decisions involve more than end-of-life issues. Anytime a person is incapable of making sound decisions an advance directive is critical for choosing care that matches the choice a person would make for themselves. When a person is unconscious, medical professionals often turn to next of kin to make treatment decisions on issues such as mental health, blood transfusions, and amputations, to name a few.

According to a 2018 National Survey by the Conversation Project®, 92% of Americans say it’s important to discuss their wishes for end-of-life care, but only 32% have had such a conversation. Dr. Susan Nelson suggests that “our delay in having these conversations is because it often seems too early, then, suddenly, we find it is too late.” The Conversation Project® promotes the kitchen table as the place to begin such conversations, not the ICU.

I recently found myself in this position when my husband Robert was struggling to breathe in a hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU). I was asked to give consent for him to be connected to a ventilator to avoid his lungs from collapsing and then to begin dialysis treatment to clear the fluid from his lungs that his chronic kidney disease was preventing. I hated to make either decision because of the risk and skill needed to successfully intubate someone with his type of dwarfism—Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia—and the life sentence to dialysis treatment.

Yet despite my reluctance to make these decisions for Robert, I knew what choices he would make. Thankfully, we had not only had the conversation about our end-of-life care but also had taken the next critical step of formally documenting our decisions with an estate attorney. Robert appointed me as his Health Care Surrogate and signed a Living Will.

So how far along are you with advance care planning?

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Categories
Disability Rights

The History of the 504 Sit-In

SF Sit in
Hundreds of disabled protestors and allies gather in San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza – Image Credit: The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund

On April 5, 1977, a group of people with disabilities staged a sit-in protest in San Francisco to demand greater accessibility and accommodations for people with disabilities. This historic protest became known as the “504 Sit-in.” Although there were disability protests and Sit-ins across the country, San Francisco’s was the longest.

The protests were sparked by the government’s failure to implement Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), the first major disability rights legislation. Section 504 prohibited discrimination against people with disabilities in federal programs and activities receiving federal funding.

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Despite Section 504 being signed into law by President Richard Nixon, Section 504 was not enforced for four years. This was in large part due to businesses and organizations lobbying against implementation, arguing that it was burdensome and unfair to expect them to implement accessibility or lose federal funding. 

One of the 504 Sit-in participants Corbett Joan O’Toole shared, “At that time in history, there was simply no access—no right to an education, no public transit. You couldn’t get into a library or city hall, much less a courtroom.” Disabled people wanted to see the government committed to disability inclusion and access. The disabled activists warned that if Joseph A. Califano Jr., who served as the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) during President Jimmy Carter’s administration, didn’t take action by April 4th, nationwide protests would ensue. 

On April 4th, 1977, after the government did not sign the regulations into law, protests took place all over the country. In San Francisco, over 500 disabled individuals and their allies attended a rally on San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza. Most of the protests happening across the country ended that day. But after the San Francisco rally, nearly 150 people with disabilities streamed into the HEW Federal Building and over 120 activists occupied the building, and refused to leave until their demands were met, even when threatened with arrest and eviction. 

Government officials attempted to remove the activists from the building by cutting the phone lines and denying them food, water, medicine, and more. But the disabled protestors used sign language to communicate through the windows of the building to work with allied groups to get food, medicine, blankets, and more.  Support came from a wide range of organizations and individuals, including labor unions, religious groups, civil rights activists, and the Black Panthers.

After two weeks of protesting, a group of Sit-in activists journeyed to Washington D.C. to intensify their efforts against Califano. They organized candlelight vigils outside of his residence and attempted to enter his office building by forcefully pushing their wheelchairs against the doors when their request for entry was denied. While in the capitol, Judy Heumann addressed congressional representatives and reporters:

“I can tell you that every time you raise issues of ‘separate but equal,’ the outrage of disabled individuals across this country is going to . . . be ignited. There will be more takeovers of buildings until finally maybe you begin to understand our position. We will no longer allow the government to oppress disabled individuals. We want the law enforced.” 

After 28 days of the Sit-in and consistent pressure from the protestors, Califano finally signed Section 504 regulations. This protest also helped pave the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 which expanded disability rights protections to the private sector and State and local governments. 

As Kitty Cone shares, the Sit-ins were “the public birth of the disability rights movement. . . For the first time, disability really was looked at as an issue of civil rights rather than an issue of charity and rehabilitation at best, pity at worst.”

Today, the legacy of the 504 Sit-in lives on, as people with disabilities continue to fight for equal access and accommodations in all aspects of society. The protest was a powerful reminder of the importance of standing up for one’s rights and fighting for change, even in the face of adversity. 

This post is a condensed version of a blog post by Maddie Crowley. “Disability History: The 1977 504 Sit-In,” https://disabilityrightsflorida.org/blog/entry/504-sit-in-history. It is republished with permission from the author and Disability Rights Florida.

Categories
Disability Rights

SSA Overpayment Relief

SSA logo

Social Security Administration (SSA) overpayment cases were stressful for beneficiaries and time-consuming for me as a disability advocate. For example, in the course of one year, Linda received several letters from the SSA claiming that she had been overpaid amounts ranging from $9,425 to $18,586. The SSA didn’t explain why the amount for which they claimed repayment kept increasing. Linda was on the verge of a breakdown when SSA sent a letter saying that she wouldn’t receive any benefit payment the next month. Linda had lost one home to Hurricane Frances—she didn’t want to lose her current home to a mortgage foreclosure. Sharon, another beneficiary with insurmountable overpayment SSA letters, was suicidal.

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I worked with both Linda and Sharon—and other beneficiaries—trying to piece together records that might account for the overpayments that racked up when they temporarily returned to work and the SSA continued to make benefit payments. The SSA is notorious for waiting years before sending overpayment letters. In the meantime, the benefit amounts received were spent and records were lost. After spending time with some of these beneficiaries, I found that locating copies of letters—the ones beneficiaries said they sent the SSA reporting the times they returned to work—was a lost cause.

I typically settled on a practical solution and made Requests for Waiver of Overpayment Recovery or a Change in the Repayment Rate. An SSA-contracted benefits consultant was skeptical about the SSA’s willingness to reduce the monthly repayment amount any lower than $75 a month. He marveled when I negotiated $50 per month withholding for Linda and $25 for Sharon.

            Almost 15 years later—under the direction of newly appointed Commissioner of Social Security, Martin O’Malley—the SSA announced that, effective March 25, 2024, it will decrease the default overpayment withholding rate for Social Security beneficiaries to ten percent (or $10, whichever is greater) from 100 percent. The goal is to ensure SSA overpayment policies are fair, equitable, and do not unduly harm anyone. O’Malley described it as “unconscionable that someone would find themselves facing homelessness or unable to pay bills, because Social Security withheld their entire payment for recovery of an overpayment.” (Limited exceptions to this change, such as when an overpayment resulted from fraud.)

The change applies to new overpayments.  If beneficiaries already have an overpayment withholding rate greater than ten percent and want a lower recovery rate, they too should call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 or their local SSA office to speak with a representative.

Beneficiaries retain the right to appeal the overpayment decision or the amount.  They can ask the SSA to waive collection of the overpayment, if they believe it was not their fault and can’t afford to pay it back.

And O’Malley has brought even more good news. The burden of proof for a clawback of an overpayment will shift from the beneficiary to the SSA! Oh how Linda and Sharon would have benefited from this rule. And other reforms are being considered, such as a statute of limitations on clawbacks.

This post is based on a condensed version of Chapter 19, Social Security Benefits Representation in “ALWAYS AN ADVOCATE[MOU1] : Champions of Change for People with Dwarfism and Disabilities” by Angela Muir Van Etten and a March 29, 2024 announcement by Jeffrey Buckner, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications, reducing the Overpayment Recovery Rate to 10 Percent.

Categories
Little People of America

Running for Office

LPA President ave
President Angela with Board member

Election season is in full swing in American politics. When I look back 20 years I am reminded of the time I was persuaded to run for national office. No, not as a representative of the people in the United States, but as a Vice President of Little People of America (LPA). March 31, 2004 was the day I announced my candidacy, one day before the April 1st deadline.

My husband, Robert, completely got my attention when he said I should run for president. I was reluctant to run for any office. It meant shelving any work on our marriage memoir, Pass Me Your Shoes, for more than two years. Also, after six months

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of unemployment, I was finally in the running for two jobs. I couldn’t imagine taking on the LPA presidency at the same time as starting a new job.

I could see the need for an elected officer who would temper passion with patience, value staff and volunteers, work cooperatively as a team member, and promote a fair and equitable process. After much prayer and discussion with Robert, my dilemma about running for president was resolved when Jacob stepped forward as a presidential candidate. But I did put the book on hold and decided to run for VP of membership. Although I had never been on the LPA Executive Committee, I had board experience as parliamentarian, a District 4 proxy, and an administrative assistant during Robert’s two terms as president in the 1980s.

Jacob and I recruited Rachel as a senior vice-presidential candidate who shared our campaign values of respect, integrity, accountability, and inclusiveness. Our motto was, “Vote for people who value people.” We held campaign meetings in online chat sessions. Supporters distributed our flyers at spring regional meetings and we built a campaign website called lpa4people.org. The campaign took off as we posted our platforms, biographies, endorsements, and commentaries. We prepared for a contested election and were surprised when the likely contender announced he would not be running for office.

I received good advice from a former LPA President, Gerald Rasa. He recommended defining, prioritizing, and resolving issues; including people in the process and praising them for their work; and conducting myself with humility. Gerald’s advice hit the mark as I entered a turbulent time in LPA leadership. There were so many issues to resolve! In my two years on the Executive Committee, four different people served in the office of President! I dubbed this as the Presidential relay. I ran the last leg after the board voted me in as President on November 13, 2005.

As President until July 2006, I determined to finish the work the original Executive Committee began in 2004. In pursuit of Solomon’s wisdom, I added his words as part of my email signature paragraph. For example, in February 2006, my 220 outgoing emails closed with this quote:

Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
∞ Proverbs 16:24, New American Standard Bible

            LPA primarily runs on volunteer hours. It’s important to support and encourage those willing to serve.

This post is a condensed version of excerpts in Chapter 4, Galvanize the Group and Heal the Breaches and Chapter 7, President Angela: Last Leg of Relay in book three of my memoir trilogy: “ALWAYS AN ADVOCATE: Champions of Change for People with Dwarfism and Disabilities,” https://angelamuirvanetten.com/always-an-advocate/

Categories
FAQs

What’s It Like To Be Little?

ICU wall phone

Goodreads, the world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations, was a natural place for me to post details on my dwarfism memoir trilogy. In the Ask the Author section a self-professed genuinely curious person posed the question, What’s It Like To Be Little? She prefaced her query with “You don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to because I don’t want to be offensive.”

Even though I didn’t take offense, I worked hard not to cause offense with my answer. I thought it was an odd question given that my writings discuss what life is like for a Little Person and she wrote her question on

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a web page which made this clear. So I politely said: your curiosity which inspired the question is what prompted me to write my memoir. The best way for you to find out what it’s like to be little is to read one or more of the books in my dwarfism trilogy. I put the onus back on the questioner to find out what it’s like.

Typically I see my days playing out as for a person of any size. That’s because my environment has been modified so that I can function independently and interact with people who are accustomed to seeing me. I can reach almost everything in my custom built home, drive  a modified vehicle, and mostly go to places where people know me.

But this month has been totally different. For three weeks in March my husband Robert has been in the Emergency Room, Intensive and Progressive Care Hospital Units, and an Acute Care Rehabilitation Hospital. This experience has reminded me that being little is distinctive.

It starts in the parking lot where I drive the entire lot looking for a disabled space with an access aisle on which to lower the ramp of my Wheelchair Accessible Van. It continues when I proffer my photo ID card to hospital security and need help to get it scanned. Speaking up when someone jumps the line can cause an angry response. And ICU visitor access is delayed while I find someone to reach the wall phone to request entry.

Communicating with medical personnel is challenging when they stand too close and talk over the top of me. I had to ask the ICU critical care doctor pressing me for consent to intubate Robert to talk to me face to face. He willingly came down to my level—first by crouching and then by sitting on a chair.

Watching Robert in a hospital bed that could not be lowered enough for me to greet him with a kiss or help feed him his meals was frustrating for both of us. But in the rehabilitation unit they located a bed that lowers enough for me to sit on the bed and reach Robert.

Successful people with dwarfism are adept at requesting accommodations that level the playing field and advocating for acceptance and environmental changes.

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Categories
Dignity

Florida Law Against Dwarf Tossing Defended

scale

Despite being called one of the ten worst inventions of the millennium—alongside the Spanish Inquisition, advertising, and nuclear war—dwarf tossing threatened to return to Florida in 2001. Dave the Dwarf, a Tampa radio personality, filed a lawsuit asking a federal court not to enforce the 1989 Florida law that banned dwarf tossing in licensed establishments.

The lawsuit claimed that the law was unconstitutional and irrelevant to any valid public purpose. The plaintiff pleaded the right to start a dwarf-tossing business. The radio station used the litigation to launch a successful media stunt and was shrewd

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enough to pit Little People of America (LPA) against Dave the Dwarf even though the named defendants in the lawsuit were the Florida governor and Division of Alcoholic, Beverages and Tobacco. The station titillated its audience by negatively portraying Dave as a piece of luggage to be tossed and LPA as a militant group interfering with his right to work.

Although the lawsuit was dismissed in February 2002, there was no hearing or ruling on the constitutionality of the law. Rather, the judge found he had no jurisdiction to hear the case because the agency rules to enforce the dwarf-tossing law had been repealed. As a result, the radio station planned a dwarf-tossing event. LPA in Florida resisted exploitive activity reminiscent of circus sideshows and put pressure on the state to publish enforcement rules before the event.

Meanwhile, John Stossel’s “Give Me a Break” segment on ABC’s 20/20 program aired on March 8, 2002. My husband and I naively believed that Stossel would fairly present both sides of the dwarf-tossing debate. He did not. After watching the 20/20 segment, I was so incensed that I sat up until the early hours of the morning writing a response called, “John Stossel Compromises Dwarfs in Name of Freedom.”

People encouraged us to keep fighting for the right thing and stand up for our beliefs. Barbara Walters—an acclaimed broadcast journalist—won the praise of many viewers when she nailed Stossel’s libertarian view by comparing the dwarf-tossing law to society’s ban on suicide, prostitution, and drug dealing.

Emboldened by the Stossel report and the judge’s dismissal of the lawsuit, the Tampa radio station planned a dwarf-tossing event for April 5, 2002. The Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco responded to my complaint about the planned event on LPA’s behalf and warned the bar that dwarf tossing violated Florida law.

The bravado ended when the radio station cancelled the dwarf-tossing contest. But the DJ was livid and threatened to sue the state of Florida again. Thankfully, his plan was stymied when the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that became effective on August 21, 2002. The penalties for violating the dwarf-tossing law included license revocation or suspension, a civil fine not to exceed $1,000, or both.

Image credit: Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

This post is a condensed version of Chapter 12, Give Me A Break in “ALWAYS AN ADVOCATE: Champions of Change for People with Dwarfism and Disabilities” by Angela Muir Van Etten, https://angelamuirvanetten.com/books/

Categories
Transportation

Relief In Sight for Anguished Airline Passengers with Wheelchairs

cry

More than 10,000 wheelchairs and other mobility devices are mishandled or damaged every year during air travel! The United States Access Board is a reliable source for this appalling statistic. Tears, injuries, missed vacations and events, and irreparable harm cannot be compensated with apologies, loaner wheelchairs, delayed and inadequate repairs, or flight credits. So finally after years of intensive advocacy by disabled travelers and disability organizations, relief is in sight.

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On February 28, 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to strengthen 14 CFR Part 382, the rule implementing the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA). The safety and dignity of passengers whose mobility depends on wheelchairs and scooters is proposed in the following rule provisions:

  • Mandating annual, hands-on training for airline staff and contractors who (1) physically assist passengers with transfers to and from aircraft seats, aisle chairs, and personal wheelchairs, and (2) handle passengers’ wheelchairs.
  • Outlining actions that airlines must take to protect passengers when a wheelchair is damaged during transport.
  • Allowing passengers to choose the company that will repair or replace their wheelchair if it’s mishandled with the airline covering the costs.
  • Clarifying that (1) airlines must provide prompt, safe, and dignified assistance to all passengers with disabilities; and (2) damaging or delaying the return of a wheelchair is an automatic violation of the ACAA.
  • Making it easier for DOT to hold airlines accountable for failing passengers who use a wheelchair.

Comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking must be received within 60 days of the date it is published in the Federal Register (publication is imminent at https://www.federalregister.gov). Comments can be filed on www.regulations.gov, giving the docket number DOT-OST-2022-0144, the Regulatory Identification Number (RIN 2105-AF14), and agency name i.e. the U.S. Department of Transportation.

If you’re perturbed that the NPRM doesn’t go far enough, remember that regulations must stay within the boundary of the statute which authorizes them. So this is a good time to also promote passage of the Air Carrier Access Amendments Act of 2023 (H.R. 1267 and S.545) which U.S. Representative James Langevin has introduced every year since 2015. The bill which has yet to gain traction in the United States House or Senate would do the following for airline passengers with disabilities:

  • Expand protections and require airlines to meet minimum accessibility standards for safe and effective boarding and deplaning, seating accommodations, accessible lavatories, and stowage for wheelchairs and assistive devices.
  • Require the DOT to prescribe regulations setting minimum accessibility standards for new and existing aircraft, airport facilities, websites, and kiosks.
  • Establish a procedure for filing disability-related discrimination complaints with the DOT.
  • Assist passengers through a toll-free hotline or other electronic method.
  • Authorize the Department of Justice (DOJ) and aggrieved passengers to bring civil actions for discrimination against an air carrier.
  • Mandate the issuance of fines to airlines that violate the laws protecting people with disabilities in air travel, and to refer patterns of discrimination to the DOJ.

Want relief? Submit comments and get your congressional representatives to support the ACAA Amendments.

Photo credit: Markus Kammermann from Pixabay

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Categories
Little People of America

VOTING RIGHTS HISTORY: Women and Little People

Constitution

Individuals with dwarfism are represented by people of all ages, body shapes, skin colors, national origins, cultures, religions, and genders. As such, we are a microcosm of society with diverse values, talents, economic status, politics and opinions. Perhaps this is why February 27, 1922—the 102nd anniversary of the United States Supreme Court defending women’s voting rights under the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution—stands out to me. Little People of America’s (LPA) heritage also includes defenses to freedom of expression and voting rights.

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As an alien, female, dwarf immigrant to the U.S., I was scorned when I expressed an unpopular opinion at an LPA Board of Director’s meeting. One Director blasted me for delaying the board’s progress, another accused me of stifling discussion and energy and attributed this to my being from New Zealand. I put the record straight with a heritage and values email:

In 1893, New Zealand was the first self-governing country in the world to grant the vote to all adult women. I therefore come from a rich heritage of debate and democracy. There are three books sitting next to my computer monitor: a Bible, a dictionary, and a copy of the U.S. Constitution. Please never mistake a plea for civility as a call to stifle discussion or energy. However, I strongly believe that the First Amendment freedom of speech comes with responsibility and is not a license to disrespect or discredit people.

When I first emigrated to the U.S. as a permanent resident alien in 1981, LPA had two classes of disenfranchised people—noncitizen aliens without student or employee status and average-size parents of children with dwarfism. For several months, I fit into the first nonvoting class as one who was neither employed nor a student. Consequently, I was ineligible for membership and unable to vote. Thankfully this inequity was corrected in 1982 when the membership approved a proposed bylaw amendment to allow permanent resident aliens to become LPA members with the right to vote regardless of their employment or student status.

As a Past President of Little People of New Zealand (NZ), I was surprised to learn that average-size parents of children with dwarfism were nonvoting members of LPA. In NZ height was not a criteria for membership. In some LPA chapters, parents’ opinions were not sought or welcome. Parents were frequently relegated to the back of the room. In many chapters, parents were limited to servant roles of providing transportation to a meeting, setting up, and cleaning up after a meal.

This all changed in Robert Van Etten’s second term as LPA President (1984-1986). Robert successfully promoted a bylaw amendment giving the vote to one average-sized parent living in the household of a child with dwarfism.

So what voting rights do you appreciate?

Photo credit: Venita Oberholster from Pixabay

The examples given in this post are drawn from Chapter 2, “President Robert: The Second Term” and Chapter 7, “President Angela: Last Leg of Relay” in ALWAYS AN ADVOCATE: Champions of Change for People with Dwarfism and Disabilities by Angela Muir Van Etten. https://angelamuirvanetten.com/always-an-advocate/.

Categories
Medical

Emergency Calls

First Responders

Medical emergencies, life-threatening situations, or crimes in progress can all trigger emergency calls. Depending on our country of residence, we call three digit numbers—000, 211, 911, or 999—to request help.

My first experience calling 911 was in 2017 when my husband Robert was in respiratory distress at the Little People of America’s 60th anniversary banquet in Denver, Colorado. Just as our meals were served, Robert’s breathing became so labored he was unable to eat. He returned to our hotel room to use his C-PAP machine, but this wasn’t enough to stabilize his breathing.

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Providentially God placed all the right people around Robert—the family sharing our banquet table included a respiratory therapist, nurse, and nursing student! All three joined hotel security staff in our hotel room to assess Robert’s breathing. The therapist even had a Pulse Oximeter to read his blood oxygen level. And indeed it was low enough for him to need oxygen. It was time to call 911!

Robert used the hotel’s portable oxygen tank until the ambulance arrived to take him to the Denver Health Medical Center and admitted to the ICU. The medical consensus was that the most likely cause of Robert’s breathing trouble was the cumulative effect of being in the Mile High City for a week. As a sea level resident of Florida, Robert was classified as a flatlander, and would be fine once he got back to sea level. And they were right. He used a portable oxygen concentrator for the flight home and, as predicted, he was fine soon after touch down in West Palm Beach, Florida.

All credit goes to God for taking care of us both during this stressful time. “God’s angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray.” Psalm 34: 7, Message

If this incident had happened 50 or so years earlier it would have been harder to call an ambulance. There was no coordinated 911 number and you had to know the local number of the emergency service you needed—fire, police, or medical. Also, the emergency number was often the same as the non-emergency number, meaning a busy signal was common.

In the United States (U.S.), the first 911 call was placed on February 16, 1968. However, it has taken years for this emergency number to go nationwide. Coverage has only increased gradually —17% in 1976; 50% in 1987; almost 93% in 1999 and 99% in March 2022. So as we appreciate this wonderful service, let’s bone up on some useful 911 facts:

  1. If you’re not sure about your location, 911 can usually track cell phone callers.
  2. Although texting to 911 is available in select areas, it’s better to call so operators can gather more information.
  3. Amazon Alexa can not directly call 911, but Google and Siri can call via voice command.
  4. You can call 911 even if your phone does not have a current service plan.
  5. In an average year, around 240 million 911 calls are made in the U.S.

Image by F. Muhammad from Pixabay

https://pixabay.com/photos/first-responders-ambulance-3323385/

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Categories
Awareness

Share the Love of Books

Book

February 14th is for sharing the love of books and reading and, of course, for sharing love with your valentine. It’s hard to miss Valentine’s Day, but how did I miss International Book Giving Day? It’s been active since 2012 and is celebrated in 44 countries, including the United States. Whatever the reason for missing it in the past, now I know to use it to increase access to and enthusiasm for books.

As a child, my siblings and I didn’t go to bed with square eyes from watching too much television, rather we went to bed with a book to read. Little did we know how much this contributed to our language development, critical thinking ability, social cues, emotional intelligence, and imagination. When Amy Broadmoore, the United Kingdom co-founder of Book Giving Day, noticed how many children didn’t have books to read, she made it a goal to get as many new, used, and borrowed books into the hands of children as possible.

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So how do people celebrate Book Giving Day? Here’s a list of ideas:

  1. Gift a Book: Select a new or gently used book that you love or think someone else would enjoy. Give it to a friend, family member, coworker, or child in your community. To gift books on dwarfism, check out my website for ideas:

2. Donate Books: Local libraries, schools, shelters, foster homes, orphanages, thrift stores, or community centers are typically ready to accept book donations. You can also donate to non-profit organizations that focus on sharing books with people without access to them, such as: Books for Africa, Book Aid International, the Book Bus, the Prison Book Program, and Kids Need to Read.

3. Organize a Book Drive: Gather books from your community and organize a book drive. Encourage others to contribute, and then distribute the collected books to those in need.

4. Leave a book somewhere: You may “accidentally” leave a book in a doctor’s office waiting room, on public transit, and other places for someone else to pick up and read. You can inscribe the book on the first page to show whoever picks up the book it’s theirs to read and pass on to the next person.

5. Organize or join a book exchange program (for children or adults): It’s not only about handing out books; you can also trade them. See for example, Bookmooch which allows people to receive used books in exchange for donating their own books.

As for me, I commit to gifting one of the books in my dwarfism memoir trilogy (winners choice as to which one) to the first person who emails me this week at angela@angelamuirvanetten.com to report celebrating Book Gifting Day in one of the five ways listed above. 

Photo credit: Image by GraphicMama-team. https://pixabay.com/vectors/book-character-glasses-show-1773756/

You may also want to read blog posts about books by Angela Muir Van Etten: