The Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts Foundation is pleased to announce that we are accepting nominations for their first annual Little Miss Wheelchair Crowning Ceremony. Applications are due no later than February 4th 2013. To receive an application, email me at mswheelchairmass12@comcast.net. 

1. The child must be between the ages of 5 and 12.

2. She must utilize her wheelchair for 100% of daily mobility.

3. She must have resided in Massachusetts in the six months prior to the competition.

4. She must be able to make a minimum of 6 appearances during her one year term.

5. All nominees will be required to attend a lunch with the current titleholder along with a member of the MWMA board. It will not be a formal judging session but a chance to see how the little girls present and interact in a public setting. After the lunch the titleholder and board member will pick the winner privately and the winner and guardian will be contacted and invited to the crowning ceremony where she will receive her crown.

The Ties That Bind

It has been quite a busy time for me since the Nationals. It is amazing how 28 women from 28 different states with 28 different platforms that point to the same goal can spend six days together and form everlasting bonds. The national pageant week is very hard to describe in words. It was a rigorous schedule that started early in the morning and ended at night. We attended four workshops a day with topics such as, "you can lead but can you follow," "person first," "the importance of language and how it impacts us," "using social networking as an advocacy tool,"   and "the ADA and accessibility." I am not quoting the titles of the workshops verbatim, but I am quoting the subject matter. After the first two days of the six-day week, I told my state coordinator that I was not the same person that arrived on Sunday. Mainstream society has a way of subtly breaking down empowerment little by little at times. This week was a great recharge for me. Multiply that by 28, and we could have lit up the entire city of Providence!

There were other staff members of each state foundation and past titleholders as well to support and guide us throughout the week. The night before the speeches we had a pajama party entitled, "This One's for the Girls." Stacy Scheifflin, a very empowering speaker and the owner of Your Best Friend Incorporated, spoke to us about the importance of our visions and goals as women. We had a DJ and we danced and sang and laughed. There was a masseuse, manicurists, and hairstylists to help further ease the tension that was mounting during that week.

Speech night was amazing. Each contestant had 2 minutes to describe her platform in front of the judges and a room full of family and friends. A formal dinner was also served and it was great to get to know everyone's families.

Crowning night was indescribable. We all wore beautiful evening gowns and lined up trying not to shake too much. Five finalists were picked and special awards were given out. I was given the Lifetime Achievement Award. The Lifetime Achievement Award is chosen by the judges to the contestant they believe has made the largest contribution and significant impact for people with disabilities. As I look at it hanging on my wall I am very touched and grateful for this honor.

Mariah Kilbourne, Ms. Wheelchair Texas, was crowned Ms. Wheelchair America 2013.  She is the perfect woman for the job! It has only been a few months and she has already taken this country by storm to spread her platform, "Inclined for Inclusion."

Everyone who participated in that amazing week came away a winner! It is so important that we continue to publicize the Ms. Wheelchair Foundation on both the state and national level. What many people do not now is that we as a whole are the driving force of empowerment, mentoring, and advocacy that makes this country a place where everyone can participate and contribute.

Strike a Pose......Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant Day One

This is the first of my six entries that will describe my experiences at the Ms. Wheelchair America Leadership and Training Pageant week. As soon as we arrived at the curb of the Renaissance Hotel in Providence we were greeted by Kelly Conners. Then I saw Ms. Wheelchair California, Mary Zendejas. We had previously spoken online so it was exciting to finally meet her in person. A lot of us had previously met on Facebook in the anticipation of pageant week. Upon checking in I was immediately involved in a really cool photo shoot with Ms. Wheelchair America 2012, Josie Badger. It was exciting to finally meet her and we made instant friends. Ms. Wheelchair Rhode Island, Katrina Horsch also joined us in photos. It was really fun "striking a pose" and meeting such great people. There was a reception followed by dinner and the bonds that we all shared and formed right from the start where amazing. After dinner we had orientation and we were all given our state sashes to be worn during the week. During orientation we all realized how serious and important this week was going to be, and we were all encouraged to rise to the challenge. We met the mayor of Providence, Angel Taveras. He even gave all of us his cell phone number! He is very warmhearted and personable and gave us a great welcome to Providence. There was a picture presentation of beautiful Rhode Island for everyone to enjoy.

I knew I had to get to bed at a decent hour but I was so wound up and excited it was a little difficult. Thankfully I slept well...................... stay tuned for day two!

You can see more pictures and more updates on my year as Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2012 at https://www.facebook.com/MsWheelchairMassachusetts2012

Greetings! It has been a week since the Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant, but before I write about my wonderful experiences, let me describe my event on July 31. It was Disability Awareness Day at Fenway Park. I was invited to be recognized on the field. There were a few other groups of people with disabilities there as well. We really got VIP treatment! We were escorted all the way down to the field, and as we walked along the perimeter people waved at us and applauded as we went by. It was very exciting when they announced my name and my title as I went over to the pitcher's mound. It was amazing to see ourselves on that big screen!

I will be writing blog entries about each day at the Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant. Stay tuned...........................

The Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant begins one week from today. I have been busy preparing for this and getting very excited. 

This past Wednesday, July 25, I joined the folks at the Spaulding Riders Club. They ride adapted cycles peddling either by hand or by foot along the Cape Cod Canal which is a beautiful 7 mile bicycle path. Riders ride for as long or short as they wish. There are people there to assist them and to be the with them along the way in case they need assistance. I took pictures with a couple of the members there and walked down the path for a little bit.

Thursday, July 26 was the 22nd anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act being officially signed into law. There were celebrations throughout our nation. I attended the city of Boston's celebration at Boston City Hall Plaza. I met the former Ms. wheelchair America 2008, Kristen McCosh, who is the Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities  in Boston. She and her board members have done so much to make the city of Boston more accessible. Mayor Thomas Menino made a very sincere speech. I especially liked hearing him say, "we want to send the message loud and clear: all people are welcome in the city of Boston, especially people with disabilities." You can see highlights of the celebration and his speech by clicking this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rNcgqWaGC0. I was also fortunate to meet him and get a picture with him.

One of the members of the Boston Commission of Persons with Disabilities who has been such a great advocate is John Kelly. Mayor Menino made a proclamation that from now on July 26 will be known as John B Kelly Day. There was also a ribbon-cutting for the new accessible path on City Hall Plaza.

You can see more photos of both of these events on my Facebook fan page:

https://www.facebook.com/MsWheelchairMassachusetts2012

You can also be informed of updates and information on the Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant by clicking https://www.facebook.com/MsWheelchairAmerica2013Pageant

For those involved with pageant week I am very appreciative of your hard work. The best advice I can give you is what I'm trying to do myself, and that is BREATHE!

On June 6th I attended the Massachusetts Hospital School Commencement. It was amazing. I was able to spend some time with Megan Mamaty who is Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2011, and Susan Houston who is on the board of the Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts Foundation. They are both alumni of the school and I was able to get a sense of the history of it and its progress over the years. Megan made a very empowering alumni speech. I was able to meet the students and some of the staff and alumni as well. The theater where the commencement was is an amazing example of total accessibility. Wheelchair users can sit in any row they prefer along with everybody else. Many entertainment venues could learn a lot from its design.

Last week I was interviewed by the editor of "Wareham Week." We talked about The Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts Foundation, what the Pageant consists of and what it was like for me. We also discussed my platform, "Creative Perseverance." We also discussed my eager anticipation to attend the Ms. Wheelchair America 2013 and Leadership Institute.

This past weekend I also attended a reunion from my years as a young adult attending an MDA sleep away camp. Even though this is not a Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts appearance, I decided to share it here anyway because it has to do with life as a person with a disability. From 1974 to 1979 MDA was able to use a camp in Rhinebeck, New York for their sleep away camp. I grew up in New York but I did not wear my sash and crown out of respect for the reigning Ms. wheelchair New York, Pam Hall. But I wanted to share it here anyway because I think many of you might have attended something similar. People who volunteered as teenagers to assist us folks with disabilities were at the reunion as well. We had all become very good friends and some of us had not seen each other in 30 years. Attending the camp was an amazing time in my life and is definitely part of what shaped me. The biggest thing I wanted to share is that at camp the line between people with disabilities and people without disabilities simply vanished. I remember as a young adult wondering why the world was not more like this. We have come a lot farther in present day making that line fade little by little. The Ms. wheelchair Massachusetts Foundation plays a large role in this. Is important for people with disabilities to participate in life as much as they can and educate people by their presence, advocacy, and mentoring. This July I will be making an appearance at the New England MDA camp. It will be great to see all those young faces experiencing what I did many years ago.

Many thanks to Sarah MacIsaac who is doing a "Tastefully Simple" fundraiser for me at the present time. I still need to raise some more money for the Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant. You can go to the link www.tastefullysimple.com/web/smacisaac to order some delicious ingredients for some tastefully simple meals and desserts. Just be sure to put "Ms. Wheelchair" as the first name and "Massachusetts" as the last name.

I am very saddened by the loss of Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2009 Ashley Speicher. She was a wonderful young woman and advocate and lived her shortened life to the fullest. She was very kind to me the day of the pageant as she escorted me to my judging sessions. We spoke on the phone the other day and she gave me some encouragement and advice about my reign and competing in the nationals.

On May 23 I was invited once again to sing at another Triangle Gala. This time it was their Employability Employee of the Month award dinner. It was held at the Putnam Club at Gillette Stadium. I sang with Richard Mirsky again. I also sang a song from my band's album with my husband's guitar accompaniment, "The Way I See It." You can see additional pictures of this event on my fan page at www.facebook.com/MsWheelchairMassachusetts2012.

Wednesday night, June 6 is the Massachusetts Hospital School graduation ceremony. I will be making an appearance there. Ahe former Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2011, Megan Mamaty, will be making a speech. She is an alumnus of the school and I'm very proud and honored that she invited me to attend. That is where the Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2012 Pageant was held as well, so it will be a walk down Memory Lane for me!

The National pageant date, August 6-12, is fast approaching. I sent in the first part of my application along with half of the fee. I am still short of my goal for the entry fee and hotel accommodations fee. If you would like to donate and have your name in the pageant program as a sponsor please go to www.paypal.com. I am really looking forward to meeting the other contestants and learning and sharing. Not only is it pageant week but it is also a week of leadership and advocacy workshops. I am also eager to meet Ms. Wheelchair America 2012, Josie Badger.

Within the next several weeks I am going to begin posting some YouTube videos talking about things of importance to me. I will post the link here once I start. I think it will be an interesting way to get the word out about the Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts Foundation as well as the Ms. Wheelchair America Foundation. It will give you an "inside view" of what it's like to be Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2012. Feel free to comment under the videos as they are posted.

Remember, life has plenty of opportunities for you to exercise Creative Perseverance!