Recently in Traffic woes Category

Paralyzed from the waist down, Alvin Malave recently learned the hard way that mass transit isn't always accessible to the disabled, contrary to public policy or federal law.

Headed to Philadelphia for a wheelchair basketball tournament, the West Hills resident planned to ride the super-convenient FlyAway bus from Van Nuys to Los Angeles International Airport.

The first bus wasn't equipped with a wheelchair lift, so Malave figured he'd just wait for the next one. The second bus came, and that one also didn't have a lift.

Finally, nearly an hour later, a bus arrived that could accommodate his wheelchair and transport him to LAX.

After the tournament in Philly - his team lost, by the way - Malave waited outside the LAX terminal for a FlyAway bus to take him back to Van Nuys. Sure enough, the bus that arrived lacked a wheelchair lift.

Dreading another hourlong wait, Malave instead hoisted himself out of his chair and dragged himself up the steep steps of the bus and into a seat.

"When I go out, I don't expect everything to be all disabled-accessible," said Malave, who was paralyzed five years ago when he was hit by a stolen pickup truck. "I know I will encounter obstacles, and I don't even think about it. I just do what I have to do to get here or there."

But Malave's family members weren't as sanguine. And when they called with his story, it ignited a firestorm in our newsroom about injustice. I contacted officials at Coach America, the bus company that contracts with the city; at LAX and at the Federal Transit Administration.

Everyone I talked with was enraged. Everyone but Malave himself.

Growing up with a sister who became blind, disabled and disfigured during surgery to remove a brain tumor when she was 9, I learned quickly that life isn't always fair. I understood his family's anger. But I was also proud of Malave and his unbelievably positive attitude toward the hurdles he faces.

A student at California State University, Northridge, he said he just wants to live independently. And if the world won't change for him, he'll change for the world.

"I feel like I have no limitations. I want to enjoy life," he said. "I don't see the boundaries that this disability has brought me."

There are 54 million Americans living with disabilities. For years, many were expected simply to stay home and collect benefits from the government.

That attitude is changing with the younger generation of disabled who are now working, traveling and contributing to their communities, said Nancy Starnes, vice president of the National Organization On Disability, based in Washington, D.C.

"The expectations for being active were certainly much more diminished then than they are for younger people today," Starnes said.

But Starnes said that, as a result, there are more disabled relying on public transit agencies to get around. And with that comes an increased demand on these services to accommodate disabled passengers.

It also means a heightened scrutiny when services fall short, as they did at Van Nuys FlyAway.

Coach America General Manager Dave Dwight apologized for Malave's experience, saying, "There is no excuse for even one thing going wrong."

There's supposed to be a wheelchair lift on each FlyAway bus, Dwight said, but a service implemented last year to shuttle passengers between Union Station and LAX created a shortage of wheelchair-accessible buses. He hopes the problem will be resolved soon.

And even though Coach America contracts with the city's airports agency, it operates without federal money and does not have FTA oversight to make sure it complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Meanwhile, it's not going to hold back Malave, who learned his upbeat outlook on life after joining a wheelchair basketball team.

Playing the sport means falling out of the wheelchair and struggling at times to move. Through this, he says he has learned not to let barriers on the court or in life get in his way.

"We just deal," Malave said of his team. "We don't allow the other factors to bother us."

Do you have questions about your local transit system? What are your experiences with transportation? Send your thoughts to me at sue.doylel@dailynews.com or call me at (818) 713-3746.