I discovered my passion for advocacy during my high school years. I would help my friends get the necessary accommodations. I worked with the speech therapy department to create communication software and created an afterschool sign language class for the school community so that more people could learn how to communicate with deaf and nonverbal people. Upon graduating I discovered an organization called Ms. Wheelchair New York and I was hand selected to be the first ever Junior Ms. Wheelchair New York.
After I was selected, I traveled to Albany for the Ms. Wheelchair New York crowning where I gave a speech about my goals as Junior Ms. Wheelchair NY to empower people with disabilities and show them that they can do anything they put their mind to. Then I received my crown and sash from the former Ms. Wheelchair New York. It was such an awesome experience and I loved meeting the contestants for Ms. Wheelchair NY.
As a contestant in the program, I had to choose a platform issue to focus on across the year and I selected accessible travel. I wanted to specifically focus on getting wheelchair seats onto planes so that people with disabilities can travel more safely. Across the year, I had the opportunity to speak at all kinds of events where I shared my story, spoke further on accessible travel in various settings, and got more involved in disability advocacy.
The first official event of my reign as Junior Ms. Wheelchair NY was attending the Respectability Summit in Washington, D.C. During a panel at the Respectability Summit, I got to hear stories from other more experienced advocates and activists about their advocacy journey. One of the panelists was an African advocate whose story stood out to me, because I hadn’t heard about disability experiences from people outside of the United States. Her journey to get the support she needed helped me appreciate the legal protections and support system I have a right to under the ADA and other laws.