Audacity Magazine » Here’s the spin

Is the Recession Stopping the Disabled From Commuting?

Nathasha Alvarez — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:03:54 +0000

Budget cuts are the buzz words in today’s world and rightly so. More and more leaders in organizations are found mismanaging company funds and profiting themselves.

There is nothing wrong with tightening the cash flow of a company. Paratransit systems, transportation providers for people with disabilities, are no exception to these budget cuts. However, in Miami, Florida these cuts are cutting into the needs of its riders, the people with physical disabilities who are unable to ride the public transportation services.

Rumor has it, and you know how we hate to gossip, that in Miami, Florida, one of the largest paratransit operations in the United States, is planning on cutting back the services to the riders.

The leaders claim that its riders have been given beyond what the Americans with Disability Act requires for paratransit services. I can’t disagree with that.

I have been using Miami Dade County’s paratransit service for almost 20 years and when compared to the outline in the ADA regarding paratransit services, Miami has done a really good job going beyond what is required.

Thank goodness! The ADA gives the bare minimum. If people with physical disabilities are given the bare minimum, their lives are barely living.

I spent my 20’s going to clubs at night, job interviews during the day, visiting friends and family whenever I could just like any other person my age with the use of paratransit. Isn’t that making the playing field more leveled?

Could I have done that with a paratransit that went word by word from the ADA? I seriously doubt it.

The county commissioners would like to take us decades back to a time when people with disabilities rarely went out so the ADA guidelines were practically winning lotto tickets for us.

But, ummm times have changed commissioners! People with disabilities have lives! It’s true!

There are better ways to save money than to take away vital services for people who have no other alternative means of transportation.

Put yourself in our wheels!

Questions and comments email us at nathasha@audacitymagazine.com .

Giving Starts Here!

Nathasha Alvarez — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 14:06:07 +0000

Audacity Magazine gives you articles written by people with physical disabilities.

Audacity Magazine gives you interesting and audacious articles.

Audacity Magazine gives you the Most Audacious Person with A Physical Disability Award.

Audacity Magazine gives you an outlet to express your views about the many facets of life with a physical disability.

So what can you give Audacity Magazine to show your gratitude for over 4 years of quality service?

Your time and money! Hey pick one. We aren’t that picky!

Money is the first thing that comes to my mind. But that’s just me!

You can use goodsearch.com and make all of your websurfing a dedication to Audacity Magazine. Simply use http://www.goodsearch.com as your first choice in search engines and place Audacity Magazine as your charity of choice.

It is so simple and it really helps the magazine!

Now you can also buy gifts online for your loved ones and have a portion of the proceeds go to Audacity Magazine by using goodsearch.com and http://www.goodshop.com which is part of goodsearch.com . That is super easy!

Audacity Magazine also has a pay pal account that needs to feel the full belly of your love! Click on it and make a contribution. Really, there is no such thing as a small contribution. Any contribution is a large contribution. The way we see it, if everyone who visited Audacity Magazine donated one dollar for every issue they have read, the company would have over over half a million dollars!

Do you know how many people with physical disabilities we would be able to hire on a full time basis? MANY!

If you don’t have a pay pal account but prefer to send a check the old fashioned way then you go for that!

World Wide Ability Inc., the parent company of Audacity Magazine, is a non profit 501 (c)(3). Audacity Magazine PO Box 0336 Miami, Florida 33296-0336

Let’s say you use goodsearch and you are going to use goodshop.com for your purchases but you are an audacious person and want to do more but you don’t know what to do then we can help you there, too!

Send this article to all of your friends especially those with deep pockets of money not lint! HA HA!

Have them donate or use those search and shop links!

Do you know a person who needs some tax write offs? Tell them about us! We want to help those rich money grubbing people…I mean those philanthropists.

If you don’t know what else you can do but you want to help then place it on your facebook, myspace, and any other site you can think of.

Spread the word, share the wealth and live an audacious life!

Email us with your questions.

nathasha@audacitymagazine.com

Your Generous Funds Help Audacity Stay Alive

Nathasha Alvarez — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:08:33 +0000

Four years ago, when Audacity Magazine first started it was merely a blog that I wrote with the help of some awesome friends.

Time passed and people continued to visit the site on a regular basis. It was a dream come true.

As a teacher, I invested my own funds into this audacious adventure and found other like minded people who liked the idea and supported the direction of the magazine.

Without these people and their generous contributions, we might not have Audacity Magazine what it is today.

As the editor, president and founder of Audacity Magazine, I have had the privilege of traveling to conferences to meet new people and speak to thousands of people with physical disabilities.

Our disabled population might not be the loudest yet nor the most wealthy, yet, but it is definitely one of the most diverse group of people around.

We want to keep Audacity Magazine going at full speed and we want to expand to bring you more of what you want to read.

So take this opportunity to see what you can do to help. You might think you can’t do anything but I can assure you that everyone can do something.

Perhaps you might know someone who is looking for a good non profit organization to make a donation for spiritual or tax purposes. Let’s not kid ourselves, non profits are great for tax write offs. (SMILE)

Perhaps you want to contribute with a small donation by using your paypal account or you can send a check or money order to our PO BOX.

In fact, if you can’t do either of those things then perhaps you can spread the word about Audacity Magazine to your local media or internet friends.

If you are going to send a donation, please make the checks payable to World Wide Ability, Inc.

World Wide Ability Inc., the parent company of Audacity Magazine, is a non profit 501 (c)(3). Audacity Magazine PO Box 0336 Miami, Florida 33296-0336

Here are a few of the generous people and organizations who have given their time and/or monetary contributions to Audacity Magazine.

Thank you for your past contributions.

Blinkads.com
The Bottomline Of South Florida
Gregory Banks
Damien P. Gregory
Athena Cooper
Every writer who has ever submitted an article for publication

and the anonymous donor who sent us a money order ! Thank you where ever you are.

Send your questions or comments to nathasha@audacitymagazine.com .

Second Life: A Second Chance for the Disabled?

Nathasha Alvarez — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:10:03 +0000

Computer games can take you into a different world but it seems that Secondlife.com, an online virtual reality game can do that and much more.

Everything you always wanted to do but couldn’t is now available in this online game that has attracted an international group of people from teens to senior citizens. But are there people with physical disabilities in there, too?

That is a tricky question. You see, Secondlife.com allows people to make themselves look any way they want. When I found out about it, I went looking for physically disabled people.

Secondlife.com is a more realistic version of The Sims. The avatars are made with such precision that people are constantly updating their looks. There is a profile that you can fill out to share information with others and even an area to place your real life picture if you so desire.

The game is free but some people pay for the premium membership to enjoy the extras that the game offers. A person can buy land, own a home, rent it out, sell clothing, furniture, or become a builder of things for Lindens which is Secondlife.com currency.

If you wanted to be a dancer all of your life, you have a chance to earn lindens at numerous nightclubs where the music is live and so are the disc jockeys. Everything there is run by people like you and me for fun or for lindens.

Want to feel powerful? You can get a job as security for a mall, a bank, a jewelry store or a nightclub.

The choices are endless. Some people spend their time flying, driving, skating, surfing, swimming and anything else that someone can come up with in there.

For some players, the best part of secondlife.com is the sex and the anonymity. It is not required to put your real name or anything real about yourself. This has given an open door of freedom to people who want to have virtual sexual encounters with strangers.

In fact, it appears that almost every area in Secondlife.com has a place to explore a person’s sexual side.

However, there is a totally fun nonsexual side to the game as well. A person can choose to play games like SLINGO and Trivia Pursuit with others or they can listen to a live concert.

I explored many areas and asked many questions until I was lead to a place called WHEELIES where a guy named Simon runs a group and nightclub. The beauty of it is that he is disabled in real life or so we are told. While venturing there, I found a wheelchair and I quickly sat in it to see how that would be.

No surprise here. The minute I traveled to other locations in the wheelchair, the magnet of men that I was attracting before the wheelchair came to a screeching halt.

The cool part was that there was a wheelchair and that the entire place had ramps and elevators.

The choice of being disabled or not is there which we don’t have in the real world.

You should definitely check out the place and venture into another world where your disability can take a backseat and adventure is the driver!

While you are there, look me up: audaciouslady!!!

See in you the secondlife!!!

Email me at nathasha@audacitymagazine.com .

National Veterans Wheelchair Games Come to Minneapolis

Kim Byers — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 14:27:59 +0000

More than 500 disabled veterans will compete in the largest annual wheelchair sports event in the world, the 25th National Veterans Wheelchair Games, June 27 – July 1 in Minneapolis. Veterans from the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan will join the other competitors at the Games this year.

“We are proud of these talented athletes, our volunteers who make these Games possible and the communities that open their doors and their hearts to these heroes,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson.

The Wheelchair Games, presented by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), are open to all U.S. military veterans who use wheelchairs for sports competition due to spinal cord injuries, certain neurological conditions, amputations or other mobility impairments.

Sports are important in the therapy used to treat many disabilities. For many injured veterans, the Wheelchair Games provide their first exposure to wheelchair athletics. The Minneapolis VA Medical Center and the PVA Minnesota Chapter are hosting the 2005 Games.

“Year after year, the rehabilitative nature of the Games provides endless opportunities for our wheelchair athletes to pursue their athletic goals and dreams,” said PVA National President Randy L. Pleva, Sr. “The Games also serve as a stage where we can show the world what we can do – to soar far beyond any physical limitations we might have and reach previously unimagined levels of success.”

At the Games, veterans will compete in track and field, swimming, basketball, weightlifting, softball, air guns, quad-rugby, 9-ball, bowling, table tennis, archery, handcycling, a motorized rally, wheelchair slalom and power soccer.

Trap shooting, golf and a power wheelchair relay will be exhibition events this year. The 25th National Veterans Wheelchair Games kick off June 27 with a wheelchair basketball demonstration at Peavey Plaza, as well as the 2005 Disabled Sports, Recreation and Fitness Expo.

At the Opening Ceremonies on June 27, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson will deliver remarks, along with PVA National President Randy L. Pleva Sr. A special first-time wheelchair sports demonstration will be held at the Mall of Americas on Wednesday, June 29.

Thursday, June 30 is “Kids Day at the Games,” when local children will visit with the athletes and learn about wheelchair sports. Commemorative activities are also planned recognizing the 25th year of the event.

From June 27 – July 1, actress Bo Derek, Honorary Chairperson of VA’s National Rehabilitation Special Events, will attend the events to visit with athletes and present medals.

Many of the events will be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center, also the site for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Other venues include South Town Bowl, Eden Prairie Bowl, McMurry Field, Metro Gun Club, Braemar Golf Course, the University of Minnesota, the University of St. Thomas, Lake Harriett, the Ft. Snelling soccer fields and Como Park

U.S. Teens with Disabilities Going Abroad!

Melissa Mitchell — Sat, 01 Oct 2005 14:12:10 +0000

Mobility International USA and the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange (NCDE) announces the release of its first online issue of A World Awaits You (AWAY), a web-based journal describing the successful experiences of individuals with disabilities in volunteer, internship, cultural and educational programs abroad. AWAY stories answer frequently asked questions and share the benefits of participating in international exchange programs.

Written for a cross-disability U.S. teenage audience, this issue highlights youth who participated on short-term summer programs abroad – showing both the variety of exchanges available and different strategies used for asking one’s parents about participating.

Each article is full of ideas and observations gained through the first hand experience of participants and answers questions such as “Why go abroad?” “Do I need to know a foreign language?” and “How do I get started in finding a program?”

For people with disabilities, accessibility and the availability of disability-related resources and services overseas can be a concern. One article includes tips from exchange alumni with disabilities, and their perspective in looking back on their experiences.

Readers are sure to gain insight into how to creatively manage access issues abroad and locate resources for a successful exchange so as to not miss out on amazing experiences

“The contact with another culture and getting to see all the things I studied about in high school, like Big Ben and Parliament, right there in front of me – I can’t put to words the value of it,” says Angela Winfield who has a visual impairment. “It just makes it very real; it makes the world small and makes it seem that everything is within reach.”

Stories in this issue of AWAY include exchange experiences in Australia, Bermuda, England, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Mexico and Wales. Readers will also find ideas for raising funds for study abroad, a checklist for becoming globally aware and helpful resource books and websites on international exchanges.

To read stories from previous print issues of AWAY, to search the online database for international exchange opportunities, or to learn about other NCDE publications, such as Survival Strategies for Going Abroad: A Guide for People with Disabilities (2005), visit www.miusa.org. Parents interested in learning more, can visit the “Just for Parents” web page at www.miusa.org/ncde/parents.

Buddy Bike

Jake Nelson — Fri, 01 Jul 2005 14:23:53 +0000

You would think that with the many sacrifices parents must make in caring for a disabled child, activities like bike riding would not be a major concern. It’s hard enough teaching a disabled child in painstaking, time consuming methods what other children might pick up instantly, so why make things more challenging?

Buddy Bike: Jesse and dad on the road again.

Of course, it isn’t that simple. For many parents, biking can become an activity that both they and their child can enjoy. And special tools like the Buddy Bike can help parents surmount obstacles that would block them from this enjoyment.

My brother, Jesse, is 11 and has autism. He’s physically capable, and, if the planet was deserted, he could ride a two wheeler just as well as the next guy. However, once you bring in people, cars and traffic laws, things get complicated. Jesse doesn’t understand much. He wouldn’t be able to acknowledge the danger of other vehicles, and he certainly wouldn’t be able to grasp the concept of stopping at a stop sign or traffic light. Jesse has to share a bike with someone a bit more competent.

This sharing wasn’t a problem when Jesse still fit in the child’s seat that sat on the back of my dad’s bike. However, as he got older and bigger, it became clear something else was necessary. First, my dad bought a tag-along bike, which is a normal bicycle minus the front wheel. It attached to the back wheel of my dad’s bike and allowed the two to ride together. But, this solution was far from perfect. Because my brother was behind my father, Jesse could get away with not pedaling since my dad couldn’t always see him. Jesse also sometimes let go of the handlebars, putting himself at risk. When my dad did look back to check on him, the two sometimes crashed since my dad would not be looking ahead.

Then my dad came across the Buddy Bike, a tandem bicycle with two sets of handlebars in the front and a backseat that is slightly more elevated than the front seat. These two unique differences allow my father to sit behind Jesse while still retaining control of the bike’s steering. Jesse now looks out towards an open view, unblocked by my father’s back, and my father now interacts with Jesse without risking a collision. They’ve been riding this way for two years, frequently riding as much as 18 miles a day, and they both love it.

My father recently purchased the patent for the Buddy Bike and is attempting to raise awareness of the Buddy Bike’s benefits for both disabled children as well as those who enjoy riding together with a parent. He is the managing member of Buddy Bike LLC and recently placed third out of 160 in the Miami Herald’s Business Challenge, for which he was awarded a one page feature article published June 6.

I’ve watched my father devote significant time to starting the Buddy Bike business, and I sometimes wonder why he does it. He must know that bike riding, though beneficial to Jesse’s physical health, will never cure Jesse’s mental impairment. Similarly, the bike won’t cure a child of Down syndrome, hearing loss, or blindness. Why, then, does he put so much work into it’

Maybe he understands that by not letting my brother’s problem interfere with this activity, he’s assuring my brother that he’ll always be on his side, no matter what. Maybe, by raising awareness of the bike, he’s trying to get the world to understand that there will always be ways of getting around these large, burdening obstacles.

Or maybe he just really likes bike riding, and doesn’t think anyone should have to give that up.
Let us know what you think of the Buddy Bike. Email us at nathasha@audacitymagazine.com and join the Online Forum to discuss this with other audacious readers.

National Veterans Wheelchair Games Come to Minneapolis

Kim Byers — Wed, 01 Jun 2005 14:34:10 +0000

From June 27 – July 1, actress Bo Derek, Honorary Chairperson of VA’s National Rehabilitation Special Events, will attend the events to visit with athletes and present medals.

State Coordinator for Ms. Wheelchair Iowa Speaks Up

Judy Hoit — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 14:39:59 +0000

In 1991 I was crowned Handicapped Woman of Iowa. I competed with women who had all sorts of disabilities: blind, deaf, women using walkers, and wheelchairs.

When I first heard about the Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant I was intrigued and called for more information. So in 1996 I went to Warm Springs, GA and represented Iowa in the national pageant. When I came back to Iowa, I started the Ms. Wheelchair Iowa Program. As Iowa did not have a program just for women in wheelchairs. So you will find me leaning toward making the pageant just for women who use a wheelchair for their daily mobility.

I have been on the Board of Directors for the Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant for 7 years, and during that time scooters were gradually eased into the wheelchair category. My personal thoughts are, it is a wheelchair pageant, and we should only have contestants that use wheelchairs for their main source of mobility. Granted many people who use wheelchairs, can stand, and some can take a few steps. But usually only for transferring purposes.

The Wisconsin story has really been blown out of proportion. Ms. Lee was removed as the titleholder because she does not meet the requirements for participation and to hold the title of Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin.

Ms. Lee does not use her scooter at work (as a school teacher) nor does she use it all the time in the community, therefore, she violates a direct and specific article of the rules of the Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant, that all state pageant’s must follow.

Also, Ms. Lee signed a contract with the Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin board that states: “I understand and agree that at no time while I am appearing as MWW, will I appear not in my wheelchair.” And the Wisconsin board felt the newspaper article about her new title, with the picture of her standing in her classroom, was a violation of that agreement.

This program is for women of achievement and accomplishments who use wheelchairs or scooters as their primary mobility aid in their community, at work, and for the betterment of their quality of life.

The Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant is a great program for women who use wheelchairs, it’s a wonderful opportunity to show the world what we have to offer. Our titleholders are out there making appearances, visiting schools, and making the public aware of architectural and attitudinal barriers. This pageant has been around for 33 years, and we have no plans to stop now.
Do you agree with Judy Hoit? Let us know. Write to us at nathasha@audacitymagazine.com or join the discussion on the Online Forum.

DISABLED VOICES FROM BEHIND BARS

Damian P. Gregory — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 14:36:35 +0000

Leslie Estimable, Jesus Perez, Andre Crespo and Angel Blanco all have felt the isolation and loneliness that can come only from having a physical disability. But, all four men have had to deal with an additional burden-being disabled-while living behind bars.

They are forced to deal with their own vulnerabilities in an environment where being a survivor is not the name of a slick reality show. It is a gritty way of life.

Like most people who have had run-ins with the law, all four will tell you that their circumstances are not entirely their fault, but rather a result of a twist of fate that has left them out of sight and out mind for most of society.

These are glimpses of how they see the world from where they sit.

Leslie Estimable

Leslie Estimable: Armed Robbery with a Firearm

Though he is wearing the standard issue orange prison jumpsuit, it is hard to believe that soft-spoken Leslie Estimable is behind bars for armed robbery with a firearm.

Estimable, 33, is clean cut, well groomed, and polite.

The past three years have been particularly hard for Estimable. He has had to get accustom to so many things.

Being away from his nine brothers and sisters, the possibility of having to return to his native Bahamas, because he’s been in the U.S for most of his life, he says, but authorities say they can’t prove how long he has been in the States, so he may face deportation, when he’s released.

If he is deported, he says, he will be faced with living in a land with which he is unfamiliar, especially, as a wheelchair user.

But for right now, his concerns are more immediate.

Being able to build up his strength to get in and out of bed with his new body, the searing pain that cuts through his body when the wind hits his arms. He is still trying to gain full use of his extremities since he was shot in 2002, and the loss of his freedom.

He says he was told by prosecutors the bullet that was lodged in his spine was fired by a friend. Unsure about that, he says, he refused to testify against that friend and as a result Estimable is now in jail.

He is learning to cope. He lives alone in a small cell. The furnishings are bare, only a bed and a toilet.

“The door is wide enough in my cell for the wheelchair,” he said. “It’s difficult [to turn around in the cell], but from where the bed is at and from where the toilet is at you can turn it around. But between the toilet and the bed you cannot turn around.”

He once had dreams of becoming a computer engineer, if life had gone differently, but instead he spends his days reading books and meditating.

Like most offenders, Estimable, says most of those he associated with on the outside “are in prison, dead or doing what they got to do.”

“Being disabled and being in jail, there are so many things that you miss out on, as far as the necessary things you need to do get through the day,” he said. “Disabled don’t come to jail, it’s not fun, it’s not a party. Being disabled you need someone to assist you in doing a lot of things and it is just a whole different picture.”

He is a man whose incarceration leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. Without the support of his siblings, he fears this may be only the beginning, especially if he’s deported.

“I understand that I made many mistakes, but I still need family around.”

Jesus Perez

Jesus Perez: Aggravated Assault with a Weapon

A fall from a four-story building caused inmate Jesus Perez to break all the bones in his feet and to break both his wrists. He now uses a wheelchair.

Perez says he and five police officers were involved in a confrontation, during which he says he was hit in the head with a baton and became seriously injured.

Police charged him with aggravated assault with a weapon against a police officer. Perez disputes that.

“If you come at a police officer with a weapon, they’re going to shoot you,” he said.

“It is not easy being in here because when you are sick and you need help, you cannot get it. It is a hassle.”

With metal rods in his wrist and feet, Perez says he is constantly in pain.

“There is no rehab here,” he said. “I made a ball out of paper [to exercise] my hands.”
This is not the first time that Perez, 35, has been in trouble with the law. He was out on bond on a grand theft auto charge at the time of his arrest.

Called by police a habitual offender, Perez says, he has been told he faces 40 years with a minimum of 30 years behind bars, on this charge.

He has been involved in stealing cars for the “thrill” since he was 13 years old. A drug habit soon followed. At its peak, he says, he had a crack and cocaine habit that cost him more than $500-$600 a day.

Though in jail four or five times by his own admission, he says this time is different because of his disability.
“If someone comes and attacks me right now, I won’t be able to defend myself. To me, I should have been left in a hospital.”

With as many as 74 other inmates in a dormitory style cell where he is being held, he says he is particularly vulnerable, especially since, he says, he will not be able to use his legs and arms properly for years to come.

“What it means is that I try to stay in my bed most of the time,” he said. “Because it is only a matter of time before somebody is going to go off on you. You can’t do nothing. There are no friends in jail.”

Andre Crespo

Andre Crespo: Parole Violation
Two-time inmate Angel Crespo is not what most people would think of when they think of an inmate. Crespo, 48, has been in jail twice.

First, for breaking into his wife’s car and more recently for a parole violation, related to that charge and aggravated assault. When asked about the crimes he has committed, the Cuban native is quick to point out, that “he no kill nobody,” with pride, in an almost dismissive tone.

The double amputee is able to get around the confines of the Miami-Dade County jail with the help of his blue three wheeled motorized scooter.

“Without it, it would be harder to get around and help myself,” he said. “I can go to the bathroom with it.”

Though the motorized devise has made his life more bearable, it has not been the solution to all of his disability related problems. Crespo, who lives in a nursing home on the outside, lost both his legs five years ago, because of circulation problems which resulted from a car accident.

The accident causes Crespo, to live in constant pain, he says.

“The nurse, she no have nothing, she no give me nothing,” he said.

“Sometimes, I can’t sleep because of the pain.”

Angel Blanco

Angel Blanco: Sex Offender
Sitting in his black manual wheelchair padded with a cushion he made out of newspapers, Angel Blanco understands the principle of the squeaky wheel getting the grease. So he speaks up, mostly in writing, when he feels he needs to.

In the nine years that he has been behind bars he has learned the importance of speaking up.

Shortly before he would end up in jail, Blanco fell down a flight of stairs, damaging his spine and back, he says.

The accident left him paralyzed from the waist down.

Unable to cope with his disability, and feeling inadequate as a man, he said caused him to act out in a terrible way.

“My wife wasn’t satisfied with me sexually,” he said. “So I went and I did it with another person, and that person was underage.”

She was 14.

“They said that I touched, her tits, her body parts, her hands and her mouth,” he said, with slight hesitation.

The young girl was the daughter of his fourth and latest wife.

Blanco said the teenager was a willing participant, at the time of the incident.
The law saw it differently.

He will be classified as a sexual predator, when he gets out of jail. Like his young victim, Blanco, too, has known the harsh reality of violence behind bars.

He has repeatedly been assaulted, he says, by other inmates, both physically and sexually.

“They don’t give a damn about what happens to you,” Blanco said. “I got beat up, I got stabbed a whole bunch of times.”

One attack was so violent, he says, that it almost cost him his ear.

“My ear came off they sewed it back on.”

But the biggest battle, for Blanco, has not been those attacks; it has been to get the medical supplies he must rely on to cope everyday with his life as a paralyzed wheelchair user.

He says for years, he fought for an adequate supply of adult diapers, a wheelchair that is comfortable for him to use and the anti-depressants that he takes to ease the physical and psychological pain that his new life has yielded.

Most of the time, with persistence, he has been successful.

Blanco feels strongly that he has rights to proper medical care regardless of his crime.

“I know I have to pay dearly for what I did,” he said.

But that does not weaken his resolve to get what he thinks is due to him.

So “Mr. Hospital Bed,” as he is called by his fellow inmates, says he has spent much of his time behind bars writing letters, making sure that his medical needs are met.

“I know the names of the bosses and I know who to write to, to complain,” he says. “To get everything is a hassle. I am not asking for anything that is out of the ordinary, I am asking basic things,” he insists.

Should these inmates have society’s sympathy? Let us know your thoughts. Email us at nathasha@audacitymagazine.com or join the Online Forum.