Category: Work

“The ADA has been the law of the land for nearly 35 years, but unfortunately many qualified individuals with disabilities still aren’t getting the common-sense accommodations they need in order to do their jobs and be fully included in the workplace.”

I 100% agree; accommodating a person’s disability is a matter of common sense! Long before federal law required employers to provide reasonable accommodations, I received two accommodations: one I needed, one I did not. Onsite parking was the accommodation I did need since I couldn’t walk the distance from the public parking lot. Even though onsite parking was reserved for managers, the problem was solved when a manager who did not drive to work allowed me to park in her space.

The accommodation I did not need mysteriously appeared one day in the bathroom—the installation of a kindergarten height toilet designed to accommodate my height of 40 inches! 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).

Although I had been on staff for several months, I had to ask, “What does the company think I’ve been doing when I needed to use the bathroom?” No doubt the accommodation was well intentioned, but it made for good employee policy manual material: “Always ask the person with a disability before making an accommodation.” To top it off, the baby bear toilet was too low and actually more difficult for me to use.

I was able to avert another employer misstep when a rear entrance renovation was in progress. After learning that a security card reader was being installed, I met with the project manager to ensure that the reader was set at a height I could use independently. He told me not to worry the reader would be set at 48 inches as required by the accessible section in the building code. However, I told him this was too high for me and the reader needed to be set at 42 inches. It was common sense for me to make my need known before the employer installed the reader six inches above my reach. Speaking up before installation meant the accommodation did not cost the employer any extra money.

Other common sense, zero cost accommodations included: (1) removing the legs from my desk; (2) adding an extension to the cord on my office window blinds; (3) using the freight elevator to the cafeteria; and (4) preparing an emergency evacuation plan for a safe exit from the seventh floor.

What common sense job accommodations have you requested?

You may also want to read:

“PASS ME YOUR SHOES: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith” by Angela Muir Van Etten, https://angelamuirvanetten.com/pass-me-your-shoes/

For additional resources go to:

• “Enforcement and Litigation Statistics: Disability.” 2023. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. https://www.eeoc.gov/data/enforcement-and-litigation-statistics-0
• Job Accommodation Network, a service of the U.S. Department of Labor’s
  Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). https://askjan.org

• EEOC Disability-Related Resources. https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc-disability-related-resources.

The ingenuity of the rehabilitation professionals impressed him, but he was disappointed not to find a rehabilitation engineering job or business opportunity in either country. This made any talk about us relocating Down Under as wishful thinking.  

Since it was three years since I had been home, and not wanting to miss out completely, I flew over for one week in New Zealand before joining Robert for his last week in Australia. In addition to family time, my sister Deborah had organized a television interview on The Bert Newton Show in Melbourne, Victoria to promote Dwarfs Don’t Live in Doll Houses, the first book in my dwarfism memoir trilogy. The book promotion continued in Baltimore, Maryland, at the annual Little People of America conference in July 1989. Two news articles were a definite boost to sales.

Abby Karp. “Little People’s Biggest Problem: Small Minds.”The Baltimore Sun. July 3, 1989.

Shirley Marlow. “In No Small Feat, She Finds True Stature as a Writer.^” Los Angeles Times. July 4, 1989.

The trip Down Under caused me to cut my time at the conference back to the four-day holiday weekend. I returned to work and Robert continued his conference commitments. When he checked out of the hotel at the end of the week, he was surprised to see an expensive champagne brunch for four charged to our room. He knew he hadn’t so indulged and was almost sure I hadn’t, either. He questioned the bill, but paid it because I was not there to ask.

When Robert returned from the conference, he confirmed that I had not made this room charge and asked the hotel to remove it from his credit card. It took months for the hotel to concede that the signature on the charge to our room was fraudulent. Apparently, they had been busy investigating many such cases.

This post is excerpted from Chapter 10, Season of Travel in “PASS ME YOUR SHOES: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith.”

Find information on Angela’s dwarfism memoir trilogy, blog, and media on her website at https://angelamuirvanetten.com.

If anything, my ability to break free from the lawyer stereotype was helpful. My distinctive appearance made it easy for clients to identify and find me. Some people came into my office and before agreeing to make an appointment asked the secretary,  “Is this the office of ‘the little lady lawyer’? and gestured with their hand at waist level to make absolutely sure their appointment was with me.

In court appearances, I needed to catch the Judge’s attention when my client’s case was called. In only my second court appearance, I nervously stood to indicate that I represented the defendant, but the Judge didn’t see me (my head was only level with the shoulders of other lawyers seated at the bar). I made the mistake of waiting for my client to make his way to the dock before speaking. The Judge erroneously concluded that my client was unrepresented and assigned my case to a public defense legal aid lawyer. I was mortified.

Later, people suggested that I should have stood on a chair, but I never stood on a chair to get attention before and I wasn’t about to begin in a courtroom. Instead I moved away from the lawyer’s table, stood in the aisle in the Judge’s line of sight, and shouted “May it please your Honor, I represent the defendant.” The Judge looked up quite startled, muttered an apology, and asked the clerk to call my client again.

I found that lawyers had just as many inhibitions in their dealings with me as other people. However, lawyers that discriminated were clearly disadvantaged. In discounting me as a serious opponent, I defeated their every unprepared argument.

Being a dwarf and a member of the “smallest minority” occasionally improved my effectiveness with clients. Many were themselves in minority groups being immigrants, alcoholics, solo parents or criminals. The fact that I belonged to a different minority was irrelevant. There was immediate empathy and recognition that we both had obstacles to face and overcome.

Often in my professional capacity, I advised people of the best approach to take in a situation. Many accepted my advice, because they realized I knew what it meant to face and overcome obstacles. I was living proof that you can make it even when the going is tough. After we talked, people were encouraged to attempt to put the pieces of their lives back together.

You may also want to read:

• Angela Muir Van Etten. “Lessons from my 40-year Law Career.” Blog post, October 10, 2022. https://angelamuirvanetten.com/lessons-from-my-40-year-law-career/
• Angela Muir Van Etten. “PASS ME YOUR SHOES: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith.” Dwarfism Trilogy, Book II. https://angelamuirvanetten.com/pass-me-your-shoes/
• Angela Muir Van Etten. “ALWAYS AN ADVOCATE: Champions of Change for People with Dwarfism and Disabilities.” Dwarfism Trilogy, Book III. https://angelamuirvanetten.com/always-an-advocate/
• “5 Reasons to Hire People with Disabilities.” Disability Rights Florida Blog. https://disabilityrightsflorida.org/blog/entry/5_reasons_to_hire_people_with_disabilities

Undeterred by discriminatory barriers, I looked for employers focused on skills not appearances. To be sure I wasn’t screened out before a job interview, I gave no hint of my height when calling or submitting a resume. It wasn’t a matter of hiding my size, rather a question of timing. It’s easier to dispel preconceived notions face-to-face.

Although not all employers are open to persuasion as shown in one interview. The attorney leaned back into his leather chair, put his feet on the desk, and his only questions were unrelated to the job or my experience. Clearly he was not considering me for the position. With nothing to lose, I challenged him for the questions he didn’t ask. This startled him into a bolt upright position followed by one open-ended query. My answer did not dint his prejudice, but at least he learned his bigotry was exposed.

Several months after I began working for an employer obligated by federal law to provide reasonable accommodations, a kindergarten height toilet mysteriously 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 does the company think I’ve been doing all this time when I needed to use the bathroom?” The incident sparked an addition to the employee policy manual: Always ask the person with a disability before making an accommodation!

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The range of law jobs I engaged in during my 40-year law career demonstrates a few of the many directions a law degree can take:

• Barrister and solicitor in a legal aid court practice.
• Legal writer and project editor of disability civil rights and other law books for Thomson Reuters.
• Staff writer on religious liberty issues for the Christian Law Association.
• Advocacy Specialist and Coordinator for the Coalition for Independent Living Options.

My first thought of becoming a law correspondent for a media outlet never happened, but my interest in writing featured for the majority of my career. So don’t be afraid to pursue your passion and don’t succumb to the bigots who ignore your talent. This post includes excerpts from books I and II in my dwarfism memoir trilogy: Dwarfs Don’t Live in Doll Houses and PASS ME YOUR SHOES: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith, https://angelamuirvanetten.com/books/.