Monday, July 25, 2005

Ms Wheelchair America Crowned under cloud of ...HEY I CAN WALK...so what...

HELLO, I guess we were all sleeping through this nightmare...

It seems Ms Wheeelchair America/Wisconson was crowned and then stripped of her title because she was photographed standing UP.

Daneal Lee has MD and uses a chair to get around... sometimes!

Duh!

How can someone who can stand adequately represent an organization called Ms. Wheelchair America?

The mission of the Ms. Wheelchair America program, according to their Web site, is to promote awareness of the need for equality.

Ms. Wheelchair America has many responsibilities, including traveling, visiting advocacy groups, making public appearances and conducting interviews.

She must raise awareness of the need to eliminate architectural and attitudinal barriers, informing the able-bodied public of achievements of disabled people across the nation.

How can Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin, who is a candidate for Ms. Wheelchair America, inform the able-bodied public of the needs of the disabled when she is able-bodied herself?

GUESS WHAT, SHE CAN"T ...

She could be say MS "I CAN PARK IN A HANDICAPPED SPOT" AMERICA however...

Anyway with this goofball out of the way, last night Rhode Islands Kristen Connors was named Ms. Wheelchair America, capping months of fighting over the pageant's qualifying process that divided the disabled community.

What the heck is divding these people, your in a chair your not in a chair....hello!!!!!

And guess what is coming now?, yep Ms International Wheelchair....WHOO HOOO

Check out the PHOTO, is it just me or is her CROWN COCKEYED?

If you wanna entertain yourself more, here is the text of the press release on the subject....

Ms. Wheelchair America comment on Former Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin 2005

The Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin organization, a member of the Ms. Wheelchair America organization, has asked Ms. Janeal Lee to step down as its state representative because she did not meet eligibility requirements and did not follow the contractual obligations of a state titleholder. She was not asked to step down because she is “not disabled enough,” as she has stated in numerous media interviews.

Ms. Wheelchair America has held state pageants since April 2004 to select women who will participate in the 2006 Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant, held July 19-24, 2005 in Albany, NY. For all of these pageants, we have used the same requirements, requirements which Ms. Lee agreed to when she signed a contract. It is imperative that we follow the same requirements consistently for all the state pageants in order to choose MWA 2006.

Each state member of the Ms. Wheelchair America organization runs its own pageant. The national organization is not funded on the level of Miss America, Miss Universe or other famous pageants, but it strives to support the hardworking, dedicated volunteers, and most importantly the contestants, who make the state pageants possible.

We recognize that Ms. Lee is an advocate for people with disabilities in her community. We regret that Ms. Lee feels she was led to believe she was eligible to compete when in fact she was not. For better or worse, the founders of this pageant included a rule, which is stated in the national and Wisconsin guidelines, that the winner must appear in her wheelchair or scooter when in public. While we feel for Ms. Lee, and understand the concern that many have shared with us, a rule is a rule in any contest. It is up to the administrators of that contest to enforce the rules as they see fit. That is what the Wisconsin officials did. We, at the national level, do not see a reason to challenge that state pageant.

Since 1973, Ms. Wheelchair America has worked to spotlight the accomplishments of women who use wheelchairs. The mission of the national program is to provide a platform for women who use wheelchairs to advocate for people with disabilities. To participate in the Ms. Wheelchair America program, women must be 21-60 years old and use a wheelchair for daily community mobility. Marital status is not a consideration and it is not a beauty pageant. Contestants are judged on accomplishments and advocacy efforts, self-perception, personal interviews, platform speech presentations, and on-stage interviews.

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