Three Windows on the World: Randy, Gilda, and Nathasha

Some narratives of disability drain off the joie de vivre before the story ever gets told. I never enjoyed that recipe.

That approach is a bit hard to do when talking about the lives of Randy Earle, Alicia Contreras, and Nathasha Alvarez.

As people with disabilities it goes without saying there is a story line that could be explored where difficulty dominates - but there is so much more of interest going on that begs to be told. So here is invitation to briefly brush past three noteworthy people who, because they experience disabilities, bring something different to the way they get on with life.

• Randy Earle lives in Seattle. His home is a remarkable tribute to Universal Design and a lifestyle of appreciative hospitality. See for yourself in Rebecca Teagarden's story "Cool design turns a basic condo into a home as chic as it is fully accessible" Find out more about the disability that has shaped his adult life ( Adrenomyeloneuropathy, or AMN ) at We Will Find a Way

• Maria Gilda L. Quintua lives in the Philippines. English is not her native language. Sign language is. Gilda created M.G.L.Q. Deaf Tour Travel Agency to serve deaf travelers in the Philippines. Not content at this pioneering effort she has teamed up with Kathy Chai in Malaysia at Malaysian Deaf Tours. 

• Nathasha Alvarez lives in Miami where she speaks her mind - and gives others a forum to do the same. Founder of Audacity magazine Nathasha, born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, has a knack for finding topics and authors to speak to the disability community. Enjoy the lead featured story in the July 2009 issue as it sidesteps the stereotypical disability narratives while talking realistically about physical and sensory deficits. See Kara Ayer's Discovering the Sensual Side in You.