Blog - Page 21 of 22 - Colleen Angela Van Etten

“Accessible” Public Bathroom Absurdities

Post author By Angela Van Etten
Post date November 16, 2020
10 Comments on “Accessible” Public Bathroom Absurdities

National Absurdity Day recalls some of the entirely off the wall things in our lives. So this November 20^th my mind immediately jumps to my collection of absurd “accessible” public bathroom photos. So sit back and enjoy these crazy pictures I have accumulated in my travels over the years.

And when you see me in some of these photos, consider what the other bathroom user was thinking when I asked them to take these zany pics of me with a bathroom backdrop instead of the typical seascapes, mountains and other iconic vistas.

Want to subscribe to receive blog updates sign up today!

Bathroom comode — No thanks, I’d rather do this solo.

Bathroom absurdity — Let’s install the toilet paper above her head so as not to mess with the tiles.

The silver lining is that not all these absurdities appeared in the same bathroom!

I’d love to see any crazy bathroom pics you have in your album. Surely I’m not the only one absurd enough to document the ridiculous!

This post was inspired by my book,Pass Me Your Shoes: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith, which sells at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million and other retailers.

God's protection

Disaster Averted

Driving in blizzard — Image by Mircea Ploscar from Pixabay

As newlyweds of six weeks, Robert and I had a harrowing driving experience picking up my personal effects from the port of Philadelphia. We drove the 150 miles from Arlington to Philadelphia when we learned the shipping would cost more than the 8,500 mile trip from New Zealand to Pennsylvania!

But Philadelphia greeted us with snow, ice and slush as we drove through city streets to complete paperwork at the shipping line office before going to the shipping terminal. The gate guard at the terminal was hostile towards our Honda wagon and waved us out of the container truck line. Our unlikely transit vehicle was only granted entry when Robert got out of the car and showed him our paperwork.

Want to subscribe to receive blog updates sign up today!

Service was also denied at the shipping clerk’s office. Robert couldn’t see over the counter so he called out, “Is anybody there?” The clerk replied “no.” Not so easily deterred, Robert took his cue from other truckers getting service. He slammed down our papers on the counter above his head and gruffly stated, “Shipping order to be picked up.” The result? Immediate action.

Ordinarily, trucks receive shipments by backing up to the warehouse loading bay. We drove right inside. Surrounded by rows and rows of floor-to-ceiling shelving filled with boxes, we had no idea how we would find my shipment, let alone get them it into the wagon. There were no workers in sight—until Robert got out of the car, revealing his stature. Suddenly, workers appeared from all corners of the building, convinced that Robert was a movie star or one of the millionaire real estate twins who were the same height and age as Robert. Their assumptions provided all the help we needed to locate and load my shipment into our wagon.

Our ordeal at the terminal was almost over—or so we thought. I was driving towards a warehouse opening when Robert yelled, “STOP.” I jammed on the brakes just before launching off the loading bay ledge. The whiteout of the continuous snowfall made it impossible to tell that this way out was for the birds.

Disaster averted, I backed out the warehouse entrance on level ground, and we started home. After only travelling ten miles in an hour-and-a-half, we pulled off the highway and found a motel. Then we learned that not everyone had escaped disaster that day.

The snow blizzard had also hit Washington, D.C. and Air Florida flight 90 had crashed into commuter traffic on the 14th Street Bridge before sinking into the Potomac River. Seventy-eight people were killed. Within a half-hour of the plane crash, three more people died in a Metro derailment on the Blue/Orange Line.

If Robert had been in DC that day, he could have been in the traffic on the bridge the plane crashed into, or on the Orange Line going to Ballston Station in Arlington. God’s hand surely protected us.

This post was adapted from my book,Pass Me Your Shoes: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith, which sells at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million and other retailers.

Etiquette FAQs

What should I call you?

Political Correctness — Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Call me whatever you like, just don’t call me late for dinner. This line works well in comedy, but not so much when interacting with people with disabilities. And don’t believe it when people say, sticks and stone will break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” Name calling does hurt!

Here are some of the offensive words used to describe people with disabilities—crippled, retarded, dumb, psycho, midget, handicapped, spastic. All these words are negative and degrade the person with a disability. It’s time to stop using them.

When confronted about their poor choice of words, some people say, Oh, I didn’t know.

Want to subscribe to receive blog updates sign up today?

Others claim to be only joking while the worst offenders are egged on and get louder and more obnoxious. Well, ignorance and using people as the butt of their jokes should not be tolerated in a civil society.

Sure, there is some genuine confusion. After all, terminology does change over time. For example, I was a crippled child, a handicapped teenager, and now a disabled adult. I’m still the same person despite aging through many decades, but the words to describe my condition have changed. It’s not enough to keep up with fashion trends, we must also stay current with our language.

So why italicize disabled adult? That’s because it’s a violation of disability etiquette to describe a person by their disability. See the person first, not the disability. We are not defined by our disabilities. This translates into using person first language. Don’t say, the blind man or the deaf girl. Instead say, the man who is blind or the girl who is deaf. Yes, I know it’s not as literary or concise, but it’s better to be polite and sensitive.

Another common phenomenon is for people to go overboard with endearing words like dear, pet, or darling. I don’t hear the endearment, I hear patronizing. But before assuming they see me as a needy cause, I listen to see if they use the same words when talking to people without disabilities. If the endearments are applied to everyone, then I know no distinction is being made between people with and without disabilities.

Another trend is for people to downplay disability with euphemisms, such as physically challenged. My problem with this one is that in trying not to offend, the disability experience is undermined. Disability is not something that needs to be softened as something unpalatable, it’s a fact that needs to be acknowledged and embraced as part of human diversity.

So, for those not wanting to offend, you might now worry about inadvertently using offensive language. My best advice is don’t ask, What should I call you? The better question to ask is, What’s your name? When a person with a disability answers this question, it’s important to remember, A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, Favor is better than silver and gold. Proverbs 22:1. New American Standard Bible.

This blog post was first published as a guest post on https://aisforadelaide.com/2020/08/26/what-should-i-call-you/. For more of Angela’s writings go to her website at https://angelamuirvanetten.com where you can subscribe to her weekly blog and find retail links to her new book, Pass Me Your Shoes: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigate Life’s Detours with Love and Faith.

International

The Sun Will Never Set on Little People

Post author By Angela Van Etten
Post date October 26, 2020
2 Comments on The Sun Will Never Set on Little People

World Map — Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

When Billy Barty founded Little People of America (LPA) in 1957, little did he know it would spawn dozens of LP organizations world-wide. As a result, his October 25^th birthday is recognized as International Dwarfism Awareness Day. I join the global celebration with the release of PASS ME YOUR SHOES: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith.

In 1981, when I traveled from New Zealand to the United States on a Winston Churchill Fellowship in the International Year of ‘Disabled Persons,’ I never dreamed that seven months later I would marry Bobby Van Etten.

Want to subscribe to receive blog updates sign up today!

In my Fellowship study of American disability civil rights laws and public education programs designed to improve attitudes towards people with disabilities, Bobby was 1 of the 40 disability leaders I interviewed. We met at the NZ Embassy in Washington, D.C.

“When Bobby walked towards my desk . . . he was all smiles. For some inexplicable reason my heart beat faster as he got closer to me. I don’t remember a thing he said. I was unnerved by the proximity of his brown eyes gazing directly into mine. We were eye-to-eye because we were the same exact height.” (Pass Me Your Shoes, p. 12.)

This connection was an unplanned part of my Fellowship research! When people ask me if it was love at first sight I say, “No, it took two weeks.”

Our union attracted international media because Bobby was President of LPA and I was President of Little People of New Zealand (LPNZ). Bobby also gave a keynote address to LPNZ on United Nations Day (October 24). A United Press International headline paralleled our wedding to Prince Charles and Princess Dianna who married a few months earlier. “‘Royalty’ of Little People Exchange Wedding Vows.” And the LPA Today September issue reported, “The sun will never set on little people.”

Thankfully our marriage took a different path than the royals, but has not been without complications. However, on this international day of celebration I thank God for the blessing of our international adventures:

Meeting Little People from eight countries at the first international Little People conference in Washington, D.C. (1982)
Attending an LPA national conference in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (1985)
Speaking at the conference of the Restricted Growth Association (the English equivalent of LPA) in Worthing, West Sussex, England (1990)
Australian media coverage of “Dwarfs Don’t Live in Doll Houses” (1992)
New Zealand media coverage of my keynote speech at the annual CCS conference attended by NZ Little People (1992)
Attending numerous receptions at LPA national conferences to welcome international guests with dwarfism
Our friendships with many parents who adopted LP children from various countries around the world
Meeting Billy Barty at the LPA 25^th anniversary conference in Reno, Nevada (1982).

LPA Officers

From the left:
Billy Barty, Founder
George Baehm, Vice President
Robert Van Etten, outgoing President
Mary Carten, President elect

Now it’s your turn. Please comment on how you became aware of dwarfism in other countries.

And for another way to further your awareness, buy Pass Me Your Shoes: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million or other retailers. For more information, go to my website at https://angelamuirvanetten.com/

Angela Muir Van Etten, a dual citizen of New Zealand and the United States, qualified as a lawyer in both countries and served as national president of both Little People organizations. As a professional, Angela has written law books for lawyers and religious liberty articles for nonlawyers. Disability advocacy was her focus when employed by a Center for Independent Living and volunteering for LPA. Press in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the United States have interviewed Angela about her writing and advocacy pursuits.

Jet-Ski Contest (open from October 26 to November 7th midnight)

Enter the jet-ski contest to win a $25 digital Amazon Gift Card.
Write a comical photo caption of 10 words or less for this vacation photo of Angela and Robert on a jet-ski in Myall Lakes, New South Wales, Australia.
Email your caption to angela@angelamuirvanetten.com with the subject line: jet-ski caption contest
Angela’s sister Deborah (standing in the pic) will choose the funniest caption. Look for the announcement of the winner on my website at https://angelamuirvanetten.com on November 9^th.

Disability Rights

Car Rental and Marriage Mulligans

Post author By Angela Van Etten
Post date October 19, 2020
No Comments on Car Rental and Marriage Mulligans

Golfers understand the importance of a mulligan i.e. when a player gets a second chance to replay a specific move. National Mulligan Day was observed on October 17^th, but if you’re like me, you can think of many times in real life when you needed a second chance. Two times when this played out dramatically for me was when renting a car and in our marriage.

The first time we rented a car was in 1986 when we returned to New Zealand to visit family. When Robert went to pick up our reserved car, the clerk refused delivery. Unfortunately, prior to our arrival my father told the car rental agency that we were little people and the company directed the clerk not to rent us the car.

Want to subscribe to receive blog updates sign up today!

Thankfully, our vacation plans were salvaged when the clerk rented us the car because my father co-signed on the rental agreement.

Four years later, we experienced our car rental mulligan on the way to speak at a national conference of the Restricted Growth Association—the English equivalent of LPA. At Heathrow airport in London, we waited at the designated place for a ride to the car rental agency. The driver told us we were in the wrong line, but loaded our bags into his van with obvious skepticism. After the debacle at the NZ car rental agency, in this mulligan, we pre-paid the car rental and held disclosure of our stature until arrival at the service desk. We counted on the difficulty of refusing service to someone standing there with a pre-paid voucher for a reserved car.

When we presented our voucher, the young clerk disappeared behind closed doors. A more senior person emerged and asked how we planned to drive the car. Robert showed him the pedal extensions and seat cushions we had brought with us. Despite their doubts, management reluctantly agreed to let Robert install the extensions. But to be sure we were not an insurance risk, the manager insisted on driving around the block with us before letting us loose on English roads with his vehicle.

Marriage counseling also gave us a mulligan in our relationship that in 1993 was on the brink of divorce. Robert’s workaholism and 90-hour work weeks left me alone on nights and weekends. I had to negotiate to get Robert to do anything with me. I was living in the worst of two worlds—the loneliness of being single with the constraints of being married.

Thankfully, we got our “do-over” when John, our church Pastor of Family Life and Counseling, helped us understand the dynamics of our relationship. He worked with us on our relationship vision, childhood frustrations, a partner profile, unfinished business, and communication. We even wrote pledges to each other on issues relating to responsibilities, scheduling, spending time together, and supporting one another. We saw the light of day in our marriage, starting with a renewal of our marriage vows and taking the word divorce off the table.

Please comment with any mulligans you’d like to share.

This post was adapted from Pass Me Your Shoes: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith. Order your copy today at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million or other retailers.

Contest (open from October 19-31 midnight)

Enter the car rental contest and be entered into a drawing for a $25 digital Amazon gift card. Post, tag me, and share on social media a selfie holding your copy of Pass Me Your Shoes with a thumbs up or thumbs down gesture next to an actual or virtual car rental sign. To qualify for a second entry into the drawing, make a comment explaining the reason for the thumbs up or thumbs down. Look for the announcement of the winner of the drawing on my website at https://angelamuirvanetten.com on November 2nd.

Humor

One Smile Worth 2,000 Chocolate Bars

Post author By Angela Van Etten
Post date October 12, 2020
4 Comments on One Smile Worth 2,000 Chocolate Bars

Did you know one smile can stimulate the brain as much as 2,000 chocolate bars? Indeed, many studies show that smiling and laughter improve our health, relationships, productivity, and possibly extend our lives. Even though World Smile Day was last week, let me help you get someone to smile any day. Share one of the following stories from PASS ME YOUR SHOES: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith.

When I immigrated to America from New Zealand, I wondered if we spoke the same language. Despite using the same words, people often misunderstood:

Want to subscribe to receive blog updates sign up today!

When I said, “ushers use a torch in a theater” people imagined a flaming fire instead of a flashlight.
When I asked Bobby if he wanted cotton to tie the roast he was stuffing, he could not see how cotton would be of any use and asked instead for thread.
When asking for a biscuit, I got what looked like a bun and tasted like a scone. I should have asked for a cookie.

Six months after starting a new job, a kindergarten height toilet suddenly appeared in the bathroom. I was transported into the fantasy land of Goldilocks and the Three Bears: one for papa bear (wheelchair height), one for mama bear (regular height), and one for baby bear (my height). I had to ask, What did the company think I’d been doing all this time when I needed to use the bathroom?

At a family Christmas gathering it was too late to go tree shopping so my brother and brother-in-law foraged for a tree on a dark country road. They returned with a beauty that impressed everyone. Well, at least Dad enjoyed it until he went to golf. His grief was the inspiration for our Scruples game addendum question: You are a member of a golf club. Your son chopped down a prized tree at the 18th hole. Do you tell that the tree is in your living room?

And one more story not in the book.

Five years after Robert narrowly missed a head-on collision on our honeymoon, he dared to drive in New Zealand again. Instead of his wife yelling “PULL LEFT, PULL LEFT,” upon arrival at his destination a stranger yelled, “THE PIGS, THE PIGS.” Robert was mystified, what pigs? So, the lady showed him the clothes “pegs” placed on the car roof when the clothes were taken off the clothes line. To Robert’s American ear, pegs sounded like pigs. Can you imagine how slowly Robert was driving for those clothes pins to still be on the roof?

“So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life.” Ecclesiastes 8:15a (New Living Testament).

Read the five star customer reviews at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble and order your copy of Pass Me Your Shoes today. For more information, go to my website at https://angelamuirvanetten.com/

Contest (open from October 12-26 midnight)

Start having fun by entering this week’s contest to win a $25 digital Amazon Gift Card. In 100 words or less, share a funny story or photo with a caption about dwarfism or disability. The story or photo should be about yourself or a family member. Post your story or captioned photo as a comment on my October 12^th One Smile Worth 2,000 Chocolate Bars blog post at https://angelamuirvanetten.com/blog/. All submissions will be entered into a drawing. Subscribe to my blog for a second entry into the drawing. I will announce the winner as a comment on this post on or about October 26^th and on my Facebook Author page at https://www.facebook.com/MuirVanEttenTrilogy.

Open

“Pass Me Your Shoes” Book Launches in Dwarfism Awareness Month (DAM)

Post author By Angela Van Etten
Post date October 5, 2020
2 Comments on “Pass Me Your Shoes” Book Launches in Dwarfism Awareness Month (DAM)

Thirty-two years have passed since I published Dwarfs Don’t Live in Doll Houses covering my years as a single person. Now the sequel—PASS ME YOUR SHOES: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith—has released during DAM in October 2020.

Find out what happens when our marriage is complicated by dwarfism, different cultures and careers, dishonesty, discord, and discrimination. No-one skates through life without suffering some kind of hardship— abuse, betrayal, cancer, divorce, environmental, financial, grief, health, and so it goes through the alphabet.

Want to subscribe to receive blog updates sign up today!

As a result, people reading this book whether or not they have dwarfism, another disability, or know someone with a disabling condition will—

—relate our challenges to their own.

—experience many emotions, including: (1) joy and laughter in our love story and humorous adventures, (2) fury and frustration for frequent accounts of discrimination; and (3) empathy for relationship struggles and surgeries.

—be encouraged to persevere in tough circumstances.

—aspire to the grit and tenacity we found to succeed in life and love.

—be warned that poor decisions can lead to lasting and painful consequences.

—learn how to live every day with hope and confidence in God’s strength, love, and mercy in all circumstances.

For several years we moved from state to state looking for job stability and a place to put down roots. Our common height of three-feet-four-inches was not a common interest that could hold the marriage together. Yet, through it all, God provided new opportunities, kept us together, and close to loving family and friends.

Whether our hardships are the same or different, all can respond to the message of hope and love we offer in Pass Me Your Shoes. For us, the key was in looking to the LORD God as our strength, rock, deliverer, refuge, support and salvation. You cleared the ground under me so my footing was firm. ∞ Psalm 18:36 (the Message).

Need more persuasion that this book is a good read? Here’s a sampling of endorsements:

“This book provides a thoughtful contribution to the literature of dwarfism.” Carol Wintercorn, Retired Librarian
“I pray that . . . anyone who is daunted by a tough circumstance will find inspiration to pursue their dream.” Lee Fielder, former Pastor of Tropical Farms Baptist Church, Stuart, Florida
“With great frankness, Angela relates the challenges and triumphs she has faced in marriage, family, health and career. Along the way, we learn profound lessons from her great humor, strong faith and abiding love.” Diane Tomasik, Retired Journalist and Communications Professional

Please also read the five star customer reviews at Amazon.com and order your copy of Pass Me Your Shoes during DAM. The book is also available at

Barnes and Noble, https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pass-me-your-shoes-angela-muir-van-etten/1137737056?ean=9780998464862 and

Books a Million, https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Pass-Your-Shoes/Angela-Muir-Van-Etten/9780998464862?id=7948378273836

For information “About the Author” go to my website at https://angelamuirvanetten.com/about/

Enter Contest to Win
(open from October 5 to November 14 midnight)

Post, tag me, and share on social media a selfie holding or reading your copy of Pass Me Your Shoes. The first 100 people to also email a copy of your selfie to angela@angelamuirvanetten.com will receive a free Dwarfism Awareness Month wrist band and an autographed bookplate to paste in your book.

Little People of America

How My Life Would Be Different Without LPA

Post author By Angela Van Etten
Post date September 28, 2020
8 Comments on How My Life Would Be Different Without LPA

Cups — Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

I would not have married a President.
Local LPA communities would not have welcomed me when I moved from New Zealand to Virginia to Maryland to Ohio to New York to Florida.
I would not have enjoyed so much hospitality from LPA members opening their homes for meetings.
I would not have been a guest in so many modified LP kitchens and seen how to modify my home for greater comfort and safety.
I would not have been on the advocacy teams that defeated dwarf tossing in Chicago, Florida, and New York.

Want to subscribe to receive blog updates sign up today!

Conservative Rush Limbaugh and Liberal Howard Stern would not have criticized me in a radio broadcast on the same day for suggesting that Little People have a “cause.”
I would not have talked to so many reporters.
I would not have attended 28 national conferences in 20 states and four countries.
I would not have received an LPA education scholarship.

River rafting in the afternoon and modeling my wedding dress in the evening would never have happened.
I would never have read so many great books written by people with dwarfism.
I would never have used a scooter to extend my endurance and long term joint maintenance.
ATMs and credit card readers on gas pumps at my local gas station would still be out of my reach.
I would have earned fewer frequent flyer miles.
I would have stayed in fewer hotels.
I would have missed the free advice from medical experts in dwarfism.
My T-shirt wardrobe would be deficient.
I would have missed meeting other Little People with my diagnosis.
I would have got a lot more sleep.
I would have fewer friends.
My photo albums and newspaper clippings would not feature Little People.
I would not have met so many celebrities.
I would not have met so many Little People from all over the world.
I would not have seen an LP toddler grow from jumping up and down on my water bed to graduating from college, and getting married.
Free time would be a reality not a concept.
I would not have spent so many weeks of my life in meetings and become proficient with Robert’s Rules of Order.

I would not have read LPA Bylaws or cared enough to try and change them.
I would not have laughed and cried so much.
The opportunity to encourage parents to raise their child with dwarfism with the same expectations and boundaries as their other children would have been lost.
I would not have learned the lessons that come from being in the majority.
I would have missed being in the LP melting pot of diagnoses, gender, ethnicity, nationality, economic and faith backgrounds.

This post was adapted from a 2005 LPA Today article. For additional insights, go to Amazon.com and order your copy of my book—PASS ME YOUR SHOES: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith—a new release during Dwarfism Awareness Month in October 2020.

Disability Rights

REGISTER TO VOTE, THEN VOTE AND MAKE IT COUNT

Post author By Angela Van Etten
Post date September 21, 2020
No Comments on REGISTER TO VOTE, THEN VOTE AND MAKE IT COUNT

Are you registered to vote? National Voter Registration Day on September 22, 2020 is a good day to check. If you’re thinking why bother, read on to find out why voting matters for both constituents and election workers.

Constituent Voters

V ─ VOTE because federal laws—the Americans with Disabilities Act and Help America Vote Act—protect the voting rights of people with disabilities.

Want to subscribe to receive blog updates sign up today!

O ─ ONE vote can make the difference between winning and losing an election. Google it and you’ll see. Tie votes have been broken by pulling a name out of a hat, a coin toss, or drawing the highest card. Don’t surrender your vote to chance! Did you know that, in the 2018 midterm election, 20% of voters either had a disability or lived with someone who had a disability? i.e. more than Hispanic/Latino voters. Vote and be sure that our powerful voting bloc is heard.

T ─ TOUGH choices in troubled times is no excuse for not voting. Tear through the trial of long lines or people not wearing masks, and vote early or by mail.

E ─ EDUCATE yourself on candidate platforms, referendums, and proposed amendments.

R ─ REGISTER to vote prior to rolls closing for the November general election. If you don’t know the registration cut-off date, find the date in your State by clicking on this link, https://www.vote.org/voter-registration-deadlines/

S ─ SERVE as an election worker. If you need an accommodation, ask for it. I served as an Inspector giving voter passes at eight primary or general elections with two accommodations—my adjustable height Ergo Chair for Little People and a block of wood. Yes, you read that right, a block of wood! The block was placed under the back of my assigned Electronic Voter IDentification (EVID) machine tilting it forward so I could read the screen.

Election Workers

V ─ VALUE differences in each unique voter.

O ─ OFFER help, but allow voters to choose their own helper—a friend, family member, or an election worker. If help is accepted, ask how you can help and wait for instructions. Don’t insist on helping if the offer is refused.

T ─ TRAINING is mandated to promote access and participation of individuals with disabilities. Local disability advocates are ideally suited to conduct this training. For ten years, I provided disability sensitivity training to election workers on terminology, communication, respect, and access issues.

E ─ EQUAL access to facilities and equipment is required. This includes the opportunity for private and independent voting. Accessible voting machines—equipped with earphones and other modifications—must not only be in the precinct, but must also be ready to use.

R ─ RESPECT a voter’s pace and space.For example, don’t pat or reach over a voter’s head.Allow a voter to move and speak at their own pace.

S ─ SPEAK with a typical voice volume, tone and subject matter. People who are blind are not deaf. People with dwarfism are not children. People with intellectual disabilities understand what workers say about them.

Almost time to order your copy of Angela Muir Van Etten’s book—PASS ME YOUR SHOES: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith—which releases during Dwarfism Awareness Month in October 2020.

Hospitality

Welcome to Our Home

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. ∞ 1 Peter 4:9 New International Version)

Hospitality is an opportunity to deepen relationships and help one another. It doesn’t take a big, fancy house to share a meal or offer a bed for the night. We learned this as newly-weds in a one bedroom apartment and continue the practice 39 years later in our larger custom-built home.

Membership in Little People of America (LPA) and having family and friends separated by thousands of miles has given us many opportunities to welcome people into our home. In recent times, it also helps that we live in Florida—a great vacation destination and escape from northern winters.

Want to subscribe to receive blog updates sign up today!

LPA’s mission—to improve the quality of life for people with dwarfism—is largely achieved through a network of people with short stature, family members, and professionals who support and encourage one another. Hospitality is a big part of how this is achieved. LPA members open their homes for local chapter meetings and welcome those visiting from out-of-town. Churches encourage home fellowships where people are accepted, encouraged, and loved. Families and friends enjoy a special bond maintained by spending quality time together. What better place than in your home?

As Little People with a limited number of steps in our day, my husband Robert and I developed our own brand of hospitality. After a grand tour of our home that includes showing the location of food and supplies, guests are encouraged to make themselves at home and help themselves. In our first year of marriage when we lived in Baltimore, our proximity to Johns Hopkins Hospital allowed us to shelter LPA families of hospital inpatients or outpatients returning for follow-up appointments. The special adaptations we’d made in our apartment also gave parents ideas on how to modify their homes for their child with dwarfism. We also hosted a boys’ weekend retreat when a couple asked us to help their son who was having difficulty adjusting to his size.

Robert organized the boys weekend to include swimming, pizza, a Star Trek movie, and the boys helping to cook breakfast. Billy—the inspiration for the retreat—had started the weekend making excuses whenever he was asked to do something, “because he was the smallest.” Well, in the company of five little people he’d definitely picked a losing argument. By Sunday, Billy’s perspective had improved and he stopped making references to his size. More than 25 years later, we learned that the boys retreat had made a big impression on “Billy.” The revelation occurred at the wedding of Mr. Bill Klein whose bride, Dr. Jennifer Arnold, had been the flower girl at our Florida wedding in November 1981. Who could have imagined that the two children whose lives we separately touched in Florida and Maryland would meet as adults, fall in love, and star on TLC’s reality show, The Little Couple.

Extending hospitality to others has enriched our lives. How have you benefited from giving or receiving hospitality? This post was adapted from Angela Muir Van Etten’s book—PASS ME YOUR SHOES: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith—a new release in October 2020.