We have twitter, facebook, myspace, and hundreds of other social media networks, yet there was no overwhelming demand to pressure NBC to give equal air time for the Paralympics? What’s the point of social media if it discriminates against the disabled?

But the media is there when they want to air shows about little people right? I am a short stature person and I don’t even watch all of those little people shows. It’s not even about their acting, it’s about society’s curiosity into the lives of little people. Well, why aren’t they curious about the Paralympic athletes?

Who doesn’t want to see amputees race to the finish line? Wheelchair users compete on the tracks? Skiing? Yes! These people deserve our attention and support.

Even official sponsors like Coca Cola and McDonalds should demand air time for the Paralympians. And yet, there is this silence. It’s so silent that it’s driving me crazy!

I feel the physically disabled are being used by the media. We are good for reality shows, like Little People, Big World, Little People: Just Married and Pit Boss. We are necessary for talk shows like Maury Povich and Montel Williams. We make great reasons for a new home on Extreme Home Makeovers. But now, when it’s time to see people with disabilities go for the gold medal there is no show of support? Why?

People say that a petition has gone around. Woopee do da ! A petition doesn’t help unless a law is going to be passed. We need major media attention this in your face discrimination!Why haven’t the disabled people in the media spotlight done something? They have the camera on them all the time! Speak up! Support the Paralympians! This is as much a responsibility as for you as it is for all of us who are not in front of the camera.

Why hasn’t ABC and TLC felt pressure from the people they use to get their ratings up?

Matt Roloff said that we need to stop being crabs in a bucket, pulling each other down. I agree! Let’s start by helping each other up. Let the world know you are not happy that the United States of America which boasts about equality is ignoring the athletes who will be competing for the goal and representing our country. Shame on NBC for thinking that America doesn’t want to view these athletes who will proudly compete in such a way that will keep the viewers in awe!

As people with physical disabilities, we can’t let this go another year! We must demand it this year! We want the Paralympics to be aired the same way the Olympics were aired.

Let these official sponsors know that when we go to buy their products or services, we pay the same price as everyone else. You want my loyalty? You want my money? Give me a reason. Let me know that I count. If I count then show it! Air the Paralympics with the same pride and glory that you aired the Olympics!

Pass this article to everyone you know. If they are disabled they should pass it on without even having to be asked. If they aren’t disabled they should do it if they feel you are as equal to them.

Email this to official Olympic and Paralympic sponsors. Send it to NBC! Send to the everyone!Huffington Post! The View! 20/20. Your local news! Everyone! This is as much your responsibility as it is theirs.

Give these athletes the respect they deserve because they have earned just like the Olympic athletes!

If this is the land of equality then show it!

For example, the area where I live is serviced by the company, Zuni Transportation. I would make my phone call to reserve next day service before 5 pm. Then, Zuni would be given my trip and they would be the only ones to transport me anywhere in Miami Dade County, which is a pretty big county for $3.00 each way. This was a great concept because the drivers got to know the passengers and vice versa. The familiarity helped clients who for whatever reason felt hesitant to ride with a stranger.

Almost three years ago, ATS found out that one of its managers, Tesla Narvaez, was booking fraudulent trips and in cahoots with other drivers. Here is the kicker, she was also a client who used the service since she needed a wheelchair to get around. Just goes to show that even the disabled can be corrupted. After ATS found out, they reported it with signed confessions.

The next thing you know, the county is in an uproar and they do an investigation which seems absolutely logical and people get arrested, including Tesla Narvaez. However, the part that doesn’t sit well with me is the way the county is handling future transportation for the disabled.  The contract with ATS will end in March and instead of having open bids for a new contract which was put together by a group of people including myself, the county has decided that only certain companies can talk to them about gaining the new contract. Is that legal? Is it ethical? I don’t think so.

Turns out one of the companies is MV Transportation. That is another curve down this slippery road. I did some research on this company and you can too, by googling news reports on them. They seem to make some type of headlines that would make a Miami Paratransit passenger want to stay home if MV were handling the trip. Is the county concerned for our safety or saving a few bucks?

If that isn’t enough, there is a terrible rumor that people will have to call the county hotline 3-1-1 to make their trips. Have you seen the number of calls logged in? http://www.miamidade.gov/infocenter/311_fact_sheet.asp

Incoming Calls
(from October 1 -September 31)

Miami Dade County Paratransit was one of the best if not the best transportation service for people with disabilities based on my research several years ago. I researched companies all over the United States including Hawaii and nothing compared to the service in Miami. Our hours of operation were better, hours to make reservation and late vehicle calls were more convenient and overall the service covered more land and more people than any other service in the country. With so much to be proud of, the county now wants to hand over reservations to a call center that handles dead animal pick ups. Will I be riding with a dead German Shepard in order to save the county gas?

But let’s look at the other side of the coin, in all of my 20 years riding Miami’s Paratransit service, ATS has been the most accommodating company! Previous companies would turn a blind eye and a deaf ear regarding our complaints and suggestions to improve its service. For example, when Zuni Transportation first started out, there was much to be said for it but Jorge Azor, one of the owners, took people’s suggestions and complaints very seriously and today it is one of the best transportation companies around.

The rest of the companies under ATS have also improved throughout the years and have made a comfortable bond with its riders.  In fact, this past month at the county meeting, the provider and the clients were fighting on the same side. As passengers, we want to keep ATS!

Yes, a few rotten apples have left a nasty taste in our mouth but should we get rid of the goods ones altogether? If we did that in every company or organization, we would never have any hospitals, schools or governments. The county is taking this fraudulent situation to change the system in their favor and against the very people it’s supposed to help: the disabled.

Rumor has it that people who might be getting laid off in the county will be transferred to the call center to do what ATS’s experienced staff can do and for less money then what the county will be paying its employees. Does that sound reasonable? Does it even sound responsible? Did I forget to mention that ATS employs numerous people with physical disabilities that have been with the company for more than 10 years? Where will they go to get another job? All that training to get excellent service will be taken away because of the actions of a few?

Other rumors have it that the hours of service will be greatly reduced. At the moment, I can book by 5pm for anytime of the day or night. Do you have any idea how liberating that is for the disabled?

It finally gives us the opportunity to live like the able bodied community. We can go to dance clubs, parties, festivals, visit relatives during the holidays, go to school, get jobs without having to worry about the last pick up or if it is on a holiday or if they are even open during those hours.

I hear from my other friends in other cities who use similar services and they tell me that they can’t go out on certain days or certain hours and that they have to book trips one week in advance and even then they might be told that no more reservations will be accepted. What is that? Sounds like a communist thing to me.

Instead of the county making a U-turn back into the days of terrible routing, nasty vehicles, rude service and the passenger’s urge to no longer want to take trips, they should have an open bid for the new contract, allow ATS to bid in the RFP, and ensure that the county’s reputation of giving the best transportation service to the disabled in the country stays as their number one priority. Don’t allow the actions of a few to ruin the lives of thousands!

I can’t say this enough. The public loves the accommodations for the physically disabled but hates to acknowledge their true purpose or even support us on tough stands like equality and acceptance into society. If they want to share our throne they should share our other issues that go with that throne.

For example, look at the picture of this Barnes and Noble bathroom in Miami, Florida. What’s wrong with this picture?
Many public establishments claim to be wheelchair friendly but they fall short on their boasting. You would think a company like Barnes and Noble with all of their knowledge would realize how physically impossible it would be for a person in a wheelchair to use this bathroom. Have you spotted the problem?

If you haven’t then think of the steps you must take to use any bathroom. At the end, you have to wash your hands and wouldn’t it be nice if you could reach the soap?

Thanks to my sister, Ingrid Alvarez, I carry my own little bottle of soap sanitizer. But if that wasn’t enough, look at the other picture. How can anyone find the toilet paper? Once I found it, I had to struggle to make the roll ROLL!

What's wrong with this picture?

Who can find the toilet paper?

True story. In the UK, there will be a reality show “Cast Off” parodying the USA show, “Survivor”. According to the article, in this link, the goal is to show how messed up we are just like our able bodied counterparts. Ahh! Isn’t that sweet?

Imagine that, disabled people stuck on an island. I used to think about that all the time when Survivor first aired in America. I had a feeling that I would be booted out simply because I couldn’t do as much of the physical work as the others but I wasn’t about to sell myself short. I knew that if I was placed on a rock near the water, I could sit there all day and catch fish because most people can’t handle sitting down all day long. Sitting was something I did for a living.

I also knew that I could help when it came to the intellectual activities. I had seen several buff men and women who were dumber than the rocks they had to lug back and forth during competitions. I would be the brains behind it all. But, something more important was stopping me from thinking I could ever be a part of such an experience.

Luxury. Not a spa or computer type of luxury but the luxury to go to the bathroom by myself. I found it impossible to have someone help me dig a hole in the ground, help me to the ground, and then back up to my wheelchair. Nevermind, the fact that it is impossible to move around on sand in a wheelchair and that usually the contestants are thrown off a boat and forced to swim the rest of the way to the island. While I can swim, I don’t think I could swim and haul my wheelchair with me. Perhaps one of the reward competitions would be a new wheelchair for the island?

I wish this show would be broadcasted in the USA but I have a feeling that since we are so politically correct, it wouldn’t make it through the first episode. I’d like to see how much damage or good it would serve the community of physically disabled people.

Who knows? It might one day spur a real reality show with disabled people and not disabled people who happen to be actors portraying real disabled people.

I have been using Special Transportation Service (STS) for 15 years during that time I drove for about four of those years. I probably would still be driving except that my poor beloved Volvo died after Tropical Storm Irene five or six years ago.

Getting a car the first time around was the biggest headache on earth. My father bought me a cavalier and my mother didn’t think it was safe enough for me and Vocational Rehabilitation wouldn’t pay to put the chair topper on that car.

Finally, my mom bought me a Volvo. It wasn’t totally mine. I had to share it with my mom but it felt great to pick up my friends or do errands without having to wait on someone.

I would use Special Transportation Service for everything that was preplanned. It is a great program. Although it has its flaws, I think it one of the best programs to receive a better quality of life for people with disabilities. Without STS, thousands of people with disabilities would be unable to attend work, visit relatives, socialize, and live an overall meaningful life.

We only pay $2.50 each way. We can travel from one point of Miami Dade County to another! It is open 24 hours a day! We need only to make our reservations before 5 p.m. the day before and we are guaranteed a ride. That is awesome!

Once a month we gather with the county and a representative of the transportation companies. Most of the time people’s problems are resolved at the meetings.

So why would I want a car when gasoline prices are crazy? When insurance is going to make me go nuts? When traffic is so congested that people tend to get road rage? Why?

Very simple. I need more. There are those times when I am waiting needlessly for my transportation. I need more freedom. I want to make more than one round trip per day. As it is, I spend $5 per day to get to work. That doesn’t even include the trips to the grocery store, the mall, the doctor, the pet store, and the post office. Most of these places are located within five miles from my home, yet I have to pay $2.50 for each trip. In one day I can spend $20 and not even leave my neighborhood.

Another reason to purchase a car, I can drive. I know how and I am physically capable of driving so why not? STS is great for people who will never be able to drive or hardly ever travel but life is getting busy for me. Even if I only use the car for short trips it would save me money, time and peace of mind.

Yup, I am feeling the need for control! This past week my driver was behind a car with a lady who was looking for a paper in her car. We were still in my apartment complex and her car was not moving. I told the driver to honk so that she knew we were waiting. He didn’t. Instead Einstein decided to go around her right side. As we were parallel to her car, she started turning right. My driver put on the breaks and blasted the horn. Ridiculous! I told him if he would have beeped nicely the first time she would have moved on and we would not have had to avoid an accident.

Last week, I went grocery shopping. I live around the corner. In fact, the front of my home is located behind the grocery store. I have to get out of the complex in order to get there but it is still behind the grocery store. I waited 45 minutes for my ride and it took five minutes to get me home. Ridiculous!

Now this doesn’t happen often. In fact, if I have to rate the service I would give it a 9 out of 10. It also makes a great back up for people with physical disabilities when their vehicles are in the shop for repair. It is excellent for the elderly who shouldn’t be driving on the road anymore. It is fabulous for those long trips that I will take every now and then. But it hit me like an 18 wheeler, why should I when I don’t have to?

I tried working with the county to see if perhaps the more trips we took the less we would pay or perhaps a prepaid card for the month. But as of right now, I spend $150 per month on transportation. It is not worth it for me at this point in my life. Time is short and I have so much to do.

While I love the owner’s attempt to make all of my trips run smoothly, I realize that I am the one that needs the change.

So please join me as I take us on a scary road trip. Hopefully, when we get to our destination you will see me driving the car of my dreams or at least one close to it.

Why aren’t I jumping on the Obama wagon?

I don’t think anyone has asked me to drink the Kool Aid!

The biggest thorn on my side when it comes to this particular president elect is that he was chosen more for the color of his skin than by what he could actually give to our country.

I hope that no one is that mentally blind that this statement would seem outrageous. It’s not.

Jumping around, telling the world, that there is a hope and change doesn’t necessarily mean that the person jumping around stating this is the one best qualified to give this change.

If anything, it takes away from the excuse that the color of a person’s skin is somehow connected to the level of a person’s success.

Did America vote for someone because they thought the person was experienced, qualified and prepared enough to lead the nation out of its deep black hole?

Or did they see the opportunity to make history by electing a black president?

What if we, as a community of people with physical disabilities, based our choice for president on a person’s disability? Would that seem reasonable? Logical? Or even responsible?

Forget that the disabled candidate had little experience in comparison to the other candidates. Would that be acceptable to the world? To us?

I should hope not. Physical traits should never come into play when it comes to choosing a leader for the United States of America.

Unfortunately, it had a large impact in this presidential election.

I don’t know if Barack Obama will be a great president. I am not saying that he will be a terrible president. I don’t feel that he was elected for the right reasons.

And wouldn’t we as a people of disabilities want to be hired, promoted and acknowledged based on our accomplishments and not our physical attributions?

To many minorities, including the people with disabilities, a black president is a major step towards equality. This is the OH MY GOODNESS moment!

President elect Barack Obama knew this and played it to the end. He was kind enough to include in his speeches the disabled community. But somehow the disabled are not included in the celebration of his victory based on the premise of change.

According to AmericanPowerBlog.com, tomorrow’s inaugural ceremony is not accessible for people with physical disabilities.

So what should I tell my friend who went from being a Hillary Clinton supporter to a Barack Obama supporter? He uses a scooter and spent most of his time working to get Obama elected.

He couldn’t ever give me a strong valid argument to vote for Obama based on experience as a criteria yet, he remains loyal to him.

Need I say his racial background? I don’t think so.

He even wanted to go Washington D.C. to be at the ceremony. It’s a good thing he will be doing what the director of the ceremony advised other people with disabilities to do on that day: stay home.

It contradicts my friend’s statements about how Obama wants to make our country more accessible for the disabled. Shouldn’t he start with his own victory party? It’s only the most expensive inauguration in the history of our nation. What’s a few more millions to help ensure that everyone, even the physically disabled get to be a part of this CHANGE?

I guess I will have to stay home and see what happens.

Until then, keep reading Audacity and keep believing in Obama’s hope for change!

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

So here to make the latest announcement for all of you born with physical disabilities, we are also known as BORN WRONG!

I was born wrong! Who would have thought? I had no idea! I will have to ask my mom about this.

As if that was not enough of an insult, the person who said it was someone I held very close to my heart. Actually, foolishly enough, I thought it was someone who held me with high regards as well. So now the truth comes out. That person thinks I was born wrong!

My look of horror or pain or anger was very obvious to my friend as my friend tried to explain the choice of words. But, hey, like I say, two things you can’t take back are your words and your virginity!

What was I supposed to tell my friend?

“Oh! No problem! I totally understand your view on me even though you claim you weren’t talking about me.”

If you thought that’s what happened, you need to rewind that film. I was actually at a loss for words. Anyone who knows me knows that that is quite an accomplishment.

I wanted to rip my friend in shreds and yell at the top of my lungs, “Get the hell away from me, if you think I was born wrong!”

But I didn’t. I looked at my friend and thought, “Oh my goodness, what am I doing with this person as a friend?”

What choices did I have to make now?

Was I being overly sensitive?

Is that how my friend saw me?

Was I born wrong? And what did my friend mean by “wrong”? Does that mean I should have not been born at all? Am I mutant? Did I know deep in my heart that that’s what my friend thought of me? Was I ignoring the hard facts?

And then I started thinking, “Why am I still calling this person a friend?”

Should I end the friendship? Educate the person on their poor choice of words? Buy my friend a thesaurus and a dictionary for future use?

But my friend is not the only person who has chosen to make insensitive remarks. I have heard it from co workers, colleagues and even family members.

Every time I am left in shock and disbelief at their insensitivity towards my physical disability or anyone’s physical disability. I have heard educated people call another person retarded! Truly educated people! And when I protest, I get told that I need to chill.

I love the comment one friend made a long time ago when she said, “Oh Nathasha, you are different! You are not really physically disabled!”

Wow, I guess this wheelchair is only here to confirm my laziness at walking and my eagerness to park in the disabled parking spots. I guess we should change the name of those parking spaces and label it the “BORN WRONG SPACE”.

Hey, that might actually deter others from parking there! How embarrassing to step out of the Lincoln Navigator and find out you were born wrong! Ooops! Climb back in to the colossal vehicle before anyone finds out you were born wrong! Shh!! We will keep your secret safe with us; the rest of the born wrong population!

While I am being sarcastic,I am probably sadder that it came from a friend who I never thought would ever say such words.

Mamma Mia! Will those around me ever cease to amaze me?

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

Maybe no one will speak up for us. Maybe people are speaking up for us and there have been major improvements and no one sent me the memo on it.

I know what to do if there is a fire on the third floor. According to that very clear sign by the elevator, I am supposed to take the stairs. Now if someone can get that message across to my legs, we will be in good shape.

I joke about how an amazing miracle will occur and I will stand up and bump down the stairs to save my life. But what about those people who really can’t even stand up?

Every September 11, I think of all of the people who died when the Twin Towers collapsed. In fact, I think of this quite often and never without shedding a tear. While I might not know the details, I remember the story of two men, best friends, who died on that day.

According to the story, one of the men was a quadriplegic and sent his personal assistant to get help while his best friend stayed with him to keep him company. The story goes on to say that he knew that by staying with his best friend he was signing his death certificate.

Could something have been done to give these two men a chance to escape like the others who were racing down the stairs?

Years have passed and safety regulations have been placed for these types of emergencies but they must be in a secret handbook that we can only get by knowing the secret handshake because I have asked several groups of people with physical disabilities about this and no one knows.

Do we have to wait until another major disaster hits our country and we hear more stories about people with physical disabilities dying helplessly?

Let’s not forget Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans! That picture of the dead woman in the wheelchair gives me the chills! I refuse to go to a shelter. I have a better chance of surviving a hurricane in my Miami apartment than to wait for the government to come and rescue me.

I am not anti-government. I am anti-stupidity! How can you ask people with physical disabilities to enter a stadium and not help them out until after days and days with no water, food, or even protection?

So yes, I am a bit bitter about these situations in a country that is too proud for its own good when it comes to equality.

But hey, someone once said I should run for president. If Obama can get nominated for saying he wants change with no experience than I should definitely have a smooth road ahead of me when I state that I want even MORE CHANGE on the road to my presidency.

Comments and questions? nathasha@audacitymagazine.com

Lucky for me, my plane takes off at 6 in the morning so that idea is out of the question. Then she tells me that I need to get it done the very next day that I return. Hmm….I sense urgency. I ask her straight out. “Is it that serious?” She reassures me that it isn’t that serious even though she is pushing for an appointment.

Anyhow, off I go, on my vacation. It was a great vacation! But that’s for another article. However, every now and then, while enjoying my vacation, I start to think, I might have cancer!

Good grief! I have brittle bone disease, broken my bones over 100 times, I have had two bouts of pneumonia and one almost killed me. Let’s see, what else has happened to me? Oh yeah, I am in a wheelchair and forever will be in one with other numerous medical problems that I don’t wish to share with the world and on top of that, on top of that, I might have cancer?

Nice! Real nice!

Later on, I find out that the doctor is referring me to another doctor because the other doctor has a “special” chair. One that swivels! Oh lucky me!

I guess this is the fun part of the medical world where we have to play duck, duck, goose with our medical files, doctors, secretaries and appointment dates. Tomorrow I will find out when I will see the doctor for the procedure. But in the meantime, I was told that I might have to wait until September for the procedure.

I ask the lady at the other doctor’s office if that means that it must not be cancerous since all of you are willing to wait from June to September. She says she doesn’t know. I said “Find out!” I don’t intend to sit here and wait around. Believe or not, tomorrow July 9th I might have an appointment for this procedure before the year runs out!

Oh the joys!

My sisters don’t stop thinking about it. My friends are telling me what every good friend is supposed to say at a time like this, “Oh, it’s nothing!” But it can’t be nothing. It has to be something or else it’s wasted time.

I write this in the hopes that whether the results are positive or negative I can refer back to this article and realize that it really wasn’t “nothing”.

Death is not a topic that we shy away from at Audacitymagazine.com so I feel comfortable sharing with all of you my thoughts during these past several weeks. You see, living with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, I have seen others with my disability die of respiratory issues and other complications. I have seen others with different disabilities die because of their disability and I have seen able bodied people die due to life circumstances.

I have always thought that I must live my life as if it were my last. That doesn’t mean that I am going to jump out of an airplane or go bungee jumping but it does mean that I need to refocus on the ideas, values and people who are important to me.

How many of you have spent time with someone who never appreciated your kindness, your love, your time and your special qualities?

Yeah, I am sure many of us fall into that category.

So that is what I want to take from this can be or cannot be cancer scare. I want to prune the people around me.

Recently, I was told that I am too nice. That I do too much for people when I care about them. Lately, I have seen the evidence of this even though I really would like to ignore it.

But if I stick to my philosophy that I should treat each day as if it were my last then why surround myself with people who have no problem taking advantage of my kindness?

These past two months, I have received emails from women who are not happy with their men. Most of them have a central theme. They don’t feel appreciated or they feel taken advantage of or they feel rejected.

So let’s put this into perspective, why be with that person? If you only have x amount of time on earth, why be with someone who knocks on your door because he wants something? Don’t open that door!

Why make someone feel special if they are not willing to do the same for you?

Romantic relationship or not, you are not someone’s entertainment tool when he/she is bored or wants something from you.

I didn’t say it was easy. But it can be done. So if I have to gain something from this medical scare, it’s that I must continue to walk the walk and live as I speak. Remove those around me who waste my time or make me feel bad. Life isn’t supposed to be that way. No matter how many years we have on it.

Oh, there is one more thing! Appreciate the ones you love because you never know!

Until next time, when we find out how much fun I had on the doctor’s “special” chair.

Email your questions and comments to nathasha@audacitymagazine.com .