Woman crowned Ms. Wheelchair America, to use platform for disability rights
By Breana Ross
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PASADENA, Maryland (WBAL) — Every girl dreams of her crowning moment, but Chandra Smith knows her crown comes with great responsibility.
“I am now the voice for 64 million individuals who are living with disabilities,” said Smith.
Smith is the new Ms. Wheelchair America 2024. She lives in Pasadena and represented Maryland in the national pageant in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in early September. Smith competed alongside women from 17 other states in the contest centered around disability advocacy.
“It’s about empowering women who have disabilities, and they use wheelchairs for mobility, and I was like, that is my type of beautiful,” said Smith. “It’s a whole bunch of women just gathered around in wheelchairs. You will never see that anywhere but that competition.”
Smith started using a wheelchair two years ago after she became a triple amputee. She was doing a seven-day water-only religious fast, praying for her mother to receive the organ transplant she needed to survive. Smith fainted during the fast and went into multi-organ failure.
“In order to save my life, I was given this medication, but the medication took all the blood from my extremities and put it into my vital organs and that life-saving procedure created sepsis and then I had to have the multiple amputations as well as I suffered a stroke,” said Smith. “It transformed my life drastically. I fainted, and I woke up in a world that wasn’t built for me.”
Now, Smith wants to use her role as Ms. Wheelchair America to build a world that’s accessible for everyone.
“My platform is digital accessibility, and I currently serve as a 508 officer, so what I do is I make sure that electronic technology can be utilized with individuals with disabilities,” she said.
Beyond that, Smith wants to inspire others. “I want to change the face of disability, and I want to show others that no matter what challenges you face, if you persist, you can overcome.”
For more information on how to support Smith and the Ms. Wheelchair American pageant, visit the following website: mswheelchairamerica.org
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