The Most Amazing Week that I Nearly Missed
"You should really be Ms. Wheelchair California!" I said to every woman in a wheelchair I knew who had brains, opinions and passion. "We need more women like you to compete!"
"Then why aren't you competing?" they retorted, and I had to reluctantly agree that they had a point. I had no desire to do a pageant. I am busy, happy and fulfilled without piling more on top. But then I thought, "if I don't speak out, who will? And they promised me that I didn't have to wear a bathing suit or twirl a baton…"
Ms. Wheelchair California at Home
…and that's how I became Ms. Wheelchair California. When I found out that several of the applicants had dropped out due to health or family problems, I promised to find more contestants. What I hadn't expected was that people simply don't know about the Ms. Wheelchair America Organization!
Founded over 50 years ago, Dr. Philip K. Wood of Columbus, Ohio established Ms. Wheelchair America because of his work helping people with functional impairments. After all of these years of passionate women advocating for a better world and improving the lots of people with disabilities, you'd think the organization would be famous, right?
It is a familiar story, a non-profit that is doing exemplary work, but their all-volunteer staff is so busy running the organization that there is no time, energy nor money remaining to market the organization. And that's a shame, because, as I saw for myself, they really deserve it.
The Board that runs Ms. Wheelchair America is all volunteer. I have served on many, many all-volunteer boards and they are universally overworked and stressed. These women performed miracles, organizing transportation for 21 women in wheelchairs and their companions. They organized meals, workshops and 'Fun Nights' from Disney to Dance.
I worked for years putting together grants packages from several non-profit organizations to help an individual meet unmet needs. Now, frustrated and fed up with non-profits not collaborating to help the end user, I had found my passion and my platform – let's get our non-profits to drop their egos and work together for the good of the applicants! Many have told me that this is simply impossible, but just as many have told me various ways that this can be achieved. Give people a chance to vent, and everyone has an idea. Even, as it turns out, our Senators and Congresspeople are motivated to listen when the person asking the question is wearing a crown.
The Life Changing Journey
Fast forward 5 months and I found myself in Grand Rapids, Michigan with 20 other women from 20 other states – all with their own platforms, passions and journeys that brought them there. We knew that we would have a full week of events, workshops, speeches and social events. We had no idea, however, that the experience would be literally life changing.
Our week-long experience began by getting there – a challenge. Grand Rapids has very few direct flights, and changing planes gives airlines twice as many chances to lose or destroy your wheelchair. I was lucky – my chair was fine. Ms Wheelchair Washington was not so lucky – Jill's power chair arrived inoperable, and she came back to the hotel in a giant airline manual wheelchair.
Everyone is asked to bring a companion, and I was fortunate that both my sister and daughter wanted to join me. It was – here's that expression again – life changing. If I was overwhelmed by the abilities of these women whose disabilities looked insurmountable to me, what impact would this week have on the able-bodied observers? Quite a bit, as it happens. Even my close family, familiar with my 28-year long wheelchair journey, were amazed by the women in this special group.
A Supportive Sisterhood
The week of Nationals began with a trip to the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. An odd visit, I thought initially, until I experienced the calm beauty of the place and realized that it was exactly what I needed after a cross-country flight, changing planes and wondering if my wheelchair would actually emerge undamaged. A scavenger hunt bonded the group, and I found myself awed again by what the human spirit can do, even when the human body isn't cooperating. I just still haven't figured out how to keep a white sash clean in a manual wheelchair.
Spoiler alert – I didn't win, and that is a good thing. As I discovered during my week with my wheelchair sisters, Ms. Wheelchair America needs to not only be a good speaker with great ideas, she needs to be dedicated to travel, public speaking and showing up on time while looking presentable. I am dedicated to my family and my job helping to run the Abilities Expos, and the role of Ms. WC America is not something that can come third. It is that important. (They did, however, give me the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is an honor).
Kathryn, Ms Wheelchair South Carolina, doesn't have hand function, using a robotic arm attached to her power chair. She designed and manufactured beautiful Sisterhood t-shirts
she gave to us all.
Have you ever been in a same-sex group where everyone got along? Before this week, I had not. There are always jealousies, conflicts and comparisons happening just below the surface. If that was present during the Ms. Wheelchair America competition, I didn't feel it. The support from the other women was unique. And powerful.
So, how do you join this idyllic group? Every state is eligible, but not every state currently has a state coordinator. Ms. Wheelchair North Dakota was the first titleholder from her state in 52 years (and won an award for her ground-breaking journey!)
If you are interested in becoming part of this unique club, go to www.mswheelchairamerica.org and go to the "State" page. Each state will have contact information listed if there is a program for that state. If there is no program in your state -you can start one! You will get full support from the parent organization.
Friday night was 'Speech Night', where we shared our platforms with the audience, the judges and each other. We were restricted to 2 minutes only, a problem for some of our more loquacious contestants, but plenty of time for most. The speeches and crowning can be watched on YouTube by just typing in Ms. Wheelchair America 2025. Typically watched by a few hundred friends and family, the views of speech night topped 6,000 when Abilities posted it on our social media!
The Ms Wheelchair America president for the past 17 years, Shelly Loose, has had a rough health year leading up to Nationals. Indeed, Shelly ended up in the hospital during the week but rallied to attend the culminating weekend. She pulled it off, looking festive and elegant, as the new president was voted in.
President Shelly Loose with first runner up Shanta Favors
Councilwoman Mary Zendejas from Long Beach, California, is the new president of Ms. Wheelchair America. She has served as Vice President under Shelly and is passionate about seeing the organization progress and grow.
Mary says, "I won Ms Wheelchair California in 2012, and I was hooked by the sisterhood I found. I had never met so many powerful and impressive women all together before. I can feel that the potential is here for growth. We seem to be a secret organization, and it is time for the secret to come out. We want to make sure that we get former titleholders more involved in this organization. I call all titleholders to contact us and help take Ms. Wheelchair America to the next level.
It was running for Ms. Wheelchair America that gave me the confidence to run for political office and be at the decision-making table. I feel that I have a responsibility to my disability community to encourage other women to come forward and join."
New President Mary Zendejas
Our titleholder for 2025, Ms. Kansas, Tamara Blackwell is a mother of three, important member of her church, a paraplegic from Muscular Dystrophy and legally blind. That's a lot for anyone, but her opportunity to bring together the people with visual issues with the people with mobility issues is unique and timely. Her message of inclusion was echoed by many of the state titleholders, past and present. Like any good titleholder, she jumped in surprise, cried and thanked her family and God for putting her there.
So, I learned that Ms. Wheelchair America is not a pageant in the sense of pretty girls in bathing suits twirling batons. The pageant is all about ADVOCACY. The winner will travel the country, speaking her truth and showing the world that people in wheelchairs want to help the country be a greater place; that people with disabilities are much, much more than "Different".
…and you get to wear a tiara!
For more information go to www.mswheelchairamerica.org