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Monterey woman paralyzed in crash to have Disney movie based on her experience

<i>KSBW</i><br/>Chelsie Hill
KSBW
KSBW
Chelsie Hill

By Christian Balderas

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    SALINAS, California (KSBW) — Chelsie Hill, a former student at Pacific Grove High School, has signed a movie deal with Walt Disney Pictures for a movie loosely inspired by her life.

Hill is an executive producer and consultant for the upcoming Disney drama Grace, which follows a 17-year-old, disabled dancer’s big break at a premier dance company.

In 2010, Hill, then 17, was involved in a drunk driving accident off of Skyline Dr. that injured three other teens.

Hill was sitting in the backseat when the intoxicated driver veered off the road and crashed into a tree, paralyzing Hill from the waist down.

After the incident, Hill reached out to six girls on social media who were also disabled and formed The Rollettes, an all-girls wheelchair dance group now based in Los Angeles.

“The whole idea of getting people together was honestly part of it was because I really wanted friends. I wanted to find other girls like me that were also paralyzed,” Hill said.

In 2014, Hill moved to LA and carved out a career as an entertainer, social media influencer and advocate for disability rights.

Hill and her dance team later developed The Rollettes Experience, a seminar event and network for disabled girls and women.

“We have girls that come in from all over the world. This year we had for a ten year anniversary girls that came in from ten different countries. And it’s all different types of diagnosis cerebral palsy, spina bifida, chronic illness, spinal cord injury, all women that use wheelchairs,” Hill said.

Hill is expecting her fist child in January. She says she plans to document her experience as a disabled pregnant person on her YouTube channel.

“You know, being a young woman with this spinal cord injury and giving birth, there is not enough education about it,” Hill said. And I’m excited to just like educate people on what it’s like to not only carry a child but to also deliver and become a mom. Next year is going to be crazy.”

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