The New Zealand Embassy in Washington, D.C. was the meeting place of two presidents representing two countries in March 1981—not the White House or Camp David. The venue was chosen because the Little People of New Zealand president asked to meet the Little People of America President. And in an extraordinary turn of events, the meetings continued in civilian quarters for another 41 years as a married couple!
As husband and wife, we now look back on Presidential influences in our lives. On January 20, 1981, President Ronald Reagan ordered a retroactive hiring freeze that eliminated 1800 federal jobs, including Robert’s position as a communications engineer with the Access Board.
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Because the national media covered Robert’s story as a hardship case, I had the advantage of boning up on his background before we met. And with his job frozen, Robert had the time to be my tour guide during my five-week visit.
The Lincoln Memorial was our first stop. President Abraham Lincoln’s statue towered above us at more than six times our height. We were inspired by the display of Lincoln’s words from the Gettysburg address: all men are created equalbecause we shared a life mission to achieve equality for little people and others with disabilities.
On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush advanced this goal when he threw open the door to equality for people with dwarfism and disabilities by signing the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In October 1993, President William Clinton inspected a three-foot-high Lego replica of the White House with Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich. The president joked that the four-foot-ten secretary “could almost live in there.” Kyle Smith, a New York Post reporter, sought my reaction to Clinton’s quip. My answer reported in Smith’s article—“Labor Sec is a living doll, says big Bill”—made me a target of two polar opposite radio personalities, Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh. Both Stern and Limbaugh took umbrage with my saying the joke was inappropriate and didn’t help our cause. Limbaugh said, “What cause?”
After 17 years living in America as a legal permanent resident alien, I tired of sitting on election sidelines. I wanted to vote. And on January 17, 1998 after news broke of President Clinton’s alleged White House sex scandal with a White House intern, I knew I needed to vote. So on June 26, 1998, I applied for citizenship. And the basis for my decision was confirmed in December 1998 when President Clinton was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice. My application was approved and my naturalization ceremony followed in Miami, Florida on September 25, 1999.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s directive to hide his dependence on leg braces and a wheelchair for mobility was reversed on January 11, 2001. A life-sized statue showing FDR in his wheelchair was added at the FDR Memorial entrance and accurately demonstrates that his strength was in his leadership not his legs. Disability doesn’t limit what people can accomplish and should not be hidden.
So how have American Presidents impacted your life?
You may also want to read:
- Angela Muir Van Etten. “My Path to Citizenship.” September 19, 2022. https://angelamuirvanetten.com/my-path-to-citizenship/
- Angela Muir Van Etten. “Presidents Meet on St. Pat’s Day.” March 15, 2021. https://angelamuirvanetten.com/presidents-meet-on-st-pats-day/
- Angela Muir Van Etten. “Viewing History Through Prism of Current Events.” January 4, 2021.https://angelamuirvanetten.com/viewing-history-through-prism-of-current-events/
- Angela Muir Van Etten. “PASS ME YOUR SHOES: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith,” October 2020. https://angelamuirvanetten.com/pass-me-your-shoes/
- Laura Kierman, “Job Freeze by Reagan is Upheld,” Washington Post, (February 26, 1981). https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1981/02/26/job-freeze-by-reagan-is-upheld/6ee18e32-b8bf-4fdd-90f1-7180c2cafd9d/
2 replies on “Presidential Impact”
You are 100% correct. “Disability does not limit what people can accomplish”. Angela you have and are still doing amazing work for people. I am very proud of your accomplishments – people need to be reminded of the old saying “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”!!!
I wholeheartedly agree!!!