Just the other day my three-year-old son opened a present from his “Grammy.” It was a very special gift…a little yellow bus with three little passengers. Now, he has lots of little buses in his playroom, but this one is special. It is unlike any other dozen or so buses in his collection. This one came complete with a wheelchair and ramp! My son has a disability and uses a wheelchair, and now he has a toy he can really relate to.

This little bus is amazing for one other reason. It symbolizes the fact that disability is slowly becoming a natural part of society. No longer are we kept sheltered from the world…we are actually becoming a real part of our community. There are signs this is occurring everywhere.

I regularly open newspaper chain store ads to find models, who use wheelchairs. TV advertisers are also beginning to incorporate actors/actresses who use wheelchairs and sign language.

These societal changes are important to the lives of all people with disabilities, because as the general population becomes more comfortable with seeing people with disabilities in all walks of lives, in all types of settings, it will offer more opportunities for us to be included.

While these changes are encouraging, I see one more step that needs to be taken. I have osteogenisis imperfecta. It’s a brittle bone condition. I stand only two feet, ten inches tall, and my arms and legs are deformed due to numerous fractures. I rarely see people like me used as role models in the media. Nowhere are we to be found.

When will people like me celebrate full inclusion? When society no longer feels sorry for us, and when the media begins to realize that our physical deformities do not determine our level of happiness or success. Most importantly, everyone will celebrate full inclusion, when we all truly believe that it’s OK to be different.