The Ms. Wheelchair America competition made its return this week, after the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation in 2020. The competition celebrates the advocacy efforts, abilities and accomplishments of 30 women from across the country who use wheelchairs for mobility.
The 50th annual event, which began Monday and culminates Saturday, is presented by Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. Mary Free Bed also is producing the virtual event.
Laura Jackson, the current reigning Ms. Wheelchair Michigan said the national program's mission is what got her to compete.
"It’s not a beauty pageant it’s an advocacy group and that’s what I loved about it,” Jackson said, "It's just women across the country just doing so many great things for the disabled community."
Originally from Northville, Michigan, Jackson joined the ranks with 30 other women across the nation when she competed for a title in her home state last year. During the national competition this week, she's running on the platform, "Move your mind, keep it positive, set goals and be fearless." Jackson said that was a motto and mindset that helped her get through transitional times, after sustaining a spinal cord injury in a cheerleading incident when she was 14.
"I’m a C1- C2, ventilator-dependent quadriplegic, so the only thing I really can move is my head. I realized at this time that to really thrive through life in this new body and this new situation, I was going to have to move my mind to keeping things positive, setting some goals and being fearlessly you.”
Judges will select a winner based on advocacy, achievement, communication and presentation to serve as a spokeswoman for the more than 64 million Americans with disabilities. Each state titleholder will participate all week in virtual workshops on leadership, self-care and advocacy. They’ll also be interviewed by the panel of five judges and deliver a prepared platform presentation.
"I don’t have a big community of women in wheelchairs that I know, and there are 30 of us across the country. I feel like we have a great sisterhood of people now," Jackson said, "I think everyone wants to win, but there's just so many incredible women, so it's going to be an exciting night, and we're all going to be cheering each other on."
