Since the Olympics began, I have been asked many times, "Are you competing in the Special Olympics?" I highly respect this organization and have always welcomed the opportunities to attend their events. I have been invited to attend Special Olympic events as a guest in hopes of motivating & encouraging the young athletes and their families. I see this frequently asked question as a byproduct of our country's media and their unwillingness to fully embrace the physically challenged community on either front - Special Olympics or the Paralympics.
We are a large community filled with individuals who all offer their own story, their own courage as we face the challenges of living with handicaps. While countries like Canada and those in Europe widely televise the Paralympic Games, this nation's television stations have been unwilling to put the Paralympic Games on the air. During the 2004 Paralympic Games, there was no television media willing to televise the Games. Four years later, we are still struggling to get any media coverage. We have managed to get "Paralympic Sport TV" on YouTube and it is our hope that this will open the minds of the media moguls of ABC, CBS, and NBC as well as the minds of today's youth who frequent YouTube.
Why is this the case?
Just as our counterparts - the Olympic able-bodied athletes - we, the physically challenged, train just as long and as hard. When we are at the Olympic Training Centers, we eat in the same cafeteria, sometimes even sharing tables and conversations. We sleep in the same buildings and train in the same facilities. We sacrifice and strive while managing to overcome physical limitations.
We represent a community of individuals that are not given a voice in our vast nation. We also represent the US in these Games. It is time that we be seen and heard! Are our physical forms so distasteful to the American public that we should not be seen? Is this the reason behind the media's unwillingness to give us at least some air time in the homes of Americans each night during the Games? Do we not bring the media enough revenue? No we do not; we rarely receive sponsorship of any kind, unlike our able-bodied peers who receive thousands of dollars in sponsorships and gifts in return for their ability to bring money to the corporations that sponsor them.
In 2004, if my recollection serves me right, my able-bodied counterparts received $25,000 for each gold medal. Disabled athletes? How about $5000! This disproportionate amount is inexcusable given that we must abide by the same rules, train equally as hard, and are governed by the same Olympic organizations. After the Games, when able-bodies go to the White House to meet the President, we are there too! Why do these inequalities exist? Why are we not valued by the society in which we work and contribute? These are questions that I often ask myself.
It is my greatest hope that during my lifetime, I live to see our disabled community share the lime-light with its able-bodied peers. I hope in some small way that I can help move our country toward inclusion and away from exclusion ...
Stay Strong and Persevere!
Alejandro Albor
