Twenty-one women anxiously arrived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the week of August 15 to compete for the title of Ms. Wheelchair America 2023. But don’t be fooled by their sashes: The MWA competition is not a beauty pageant. 

It is instead a competition to recognize advocacy, achievement and leadership. MWA seeks to select the best spokesperson to dispel stereotypes, promote inclusion and champion change so people with disabilities can live fully. Although diverse in age, ethnicity, occupation and type of disability, the competitors are united by a sisterhood and bond that comes from their shared experience of navigating the world in a wheelchair.

Ms. Wheelchair America 2023

Before she could be crowned Ms. Wheelchair America 2023, Ali Ingersoll had to be convinced to run for Ms. Wheelchair North Carolina, because she thought it was a beauty pageant. When Ingersoll, 39, learned the competition was really about advocacy, she was swayed to enter. 

She leaned on her wealth of experience as an entrepreneur, disability advocate, accessibility consultant, day trader and more to win the state-level qualifier and took home the national crown Aug. 21 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “I really wasn’t nervous during the national MWA competition because I knew whether I won or not, I was going to return to this beautiful full life I have and continue my advocacy work,” she says. The best part of the experience was meeting the other titleholders and forming new friendships, especially with others like her who are passionate about advocacy.

Ingersoll started her advocacy mission after being repeatedly denied medically necessary equipment by insurance companies when she became a quadriplegic in 2010. After spending countless hours negotiating the complicated process and ultimately winning her battles, she partnered with SPINALpedia to create a step-by-step “Patient-to Patient Guide on How to Navigate the Health Insurance Appeal System.” Drawing on her own experiences, the guide provides tips and tricks for making the strongest argument for the equipment, service or prescription you are trying to get approved. She also wrote about the process in New Mobility.

During her reign as Ms. Wheelchair America, she hopes to continue her health insurance advocacy platform on a larger scale and help people learn to self-advocate. “At my core, I’m a person with a disability who believes in paying it forward, human kindness and advancing inclusiveness for all,” she says.

A Historic Legacy

This year MWA celebrates 50 years of advocacy. MWA was founded in 1972 by Dr. Philip K. Wood in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Wood, a general practitioner, was involved in a car accident in which he sustained life threatening injuries. According to Katherine Wood — one of Dr. Wood’s four children — the challenges he faced as a result of that accident, along with the long recovery process, motivated him to go back to medical school and become a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician. That way he could help others recovering from traumatic injuries. Dr. Wood envisioned MWA as a platform for women who used wheelchairs to showcase their stories, talents and capabilities. 

In 1972, Patricia Nevin of Michigan was the first woman to be crowned Ms. Wheelchair America. Nevin was a college student at the time and active in wheelchair sports. During the past 50 years, the women who have been state and national title holders include medical professionals, elected officials, lawyers, CEOs, entrepreneurs, authors and athletes.

Advocacy is at the heart of MWA’s mission, and each woman chooses a platform that is personal to her. One of the oldest living MWA titleholders is 1975 winner Diana Kenderian. Now 72, Kenderian has dedicated her life to fighting for equal access to education. Born with cerebral palsy long before the Americans with Disabilities Act, she had to fight for every opportunity to be seen and heard.

“I was bused three hours a day to a special school because the local elementary school would not accept me. Later, when I got to high school, the janitorial staff had to carry me upstairs to get to class,” she says.

Access did not improve by the time she enrolled at Boston University. She had to fight for curb cuts and ramps. In 1975, she became the first woman using a wheelchair to graduate from the university’s School of Social Work.

After graduating she wanted to become more knowledgeable about the law, so she could help advocate for herself and others with disabilities. She went to Rutgers Law School and graduated with a law degree in 1978. “Having a platform gave me an opportunity to not only make the world more physically accessible, but also socially acceptable,” she says.

Kathy Garcia-Farnsworth, Ms. Wheelchair Utah, and MWA 1990, used her platform to help lobby for the congressional passage of the ADA. She was on the White House lawn to watch President George H. W. Bush sign the law into effect on July 26, 1990.

Dr. Alette Coble-Temple, of California, was crowned MWA 2016. During her reign, she traveled to 41 states and three countries promoting public acceptance and advancing policies to help women and men with disabilities realize their dream of having a family. 

More Than a Competition

For many women who participate in MWA, the experience is life changing whether or not they win the title.

In 1990, I was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Michigan and, in 1991, I was first-runner-up. It was a major turning point in my life. I was very young, still trying to find my identity after my spinal cord injury and looking for friendship with those who understood my challenges. I had never met another wheelchair user up until that point, and the accomplished women from all walks of life who were part of my MWA experience showed me there was nothing I could not accomplish in life. They helped me become fearless and showcase my talents. 

I truly believe I would not be working in the public relations field today, nor would I have become a four-time Paralympic medalist in swimming and a motivational speaker, had it not been for the MWA program.

My experience is not unique. Shelly Loose, MWA president and Ms. Wheelchair Michigan 2007, says watching the positive transformation MWA has on the women involved and helping them find their voice keeps her involved in MWA. 

During MWA’s history, there have been representatives from 48 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. To date, there have been over 1,000 state titleholders who have helped facilitate positive changes in their communities and demonstrate that people with disabilities can lead productive and meaningful lives.

“I think one of the reasons MWA has endured for 50 years is it changes women’s lives, and they find they are part of a sisterhood that didn’t exist,” says Loose. “Year after year you are bringing in new sisters, and you see the positive ripple effect and the impact their advocacy makes. Just imagine how much more we’ll be able to accomplish in the next 50 years.” 

Learn more about MWA at mswheelchairamerica.org