MS WHEELCHAIR MASSACHUSETTS FOUNDATION INC

Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts Foundation Inc. is a program of Achievement, Advocacy and Opportunity for Women with disabilities in in Massachusetts. This is no ordinary pageant! It is a competition based on personal interviews, platform speech presentations and on-stage interviews to find a state and national spokeswoman for the disabled. The mission of the Ms. Wheelchair America Program and the individual state programs is to provide an opportunity for women of achievement who utilize wheel... chairs to successfully educate and advocate for individuals with disabilities. Through a chosen representative, Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts educates and advocates for individuals with physical disabilities in order to influence social change for all Massachusetts residents. Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts carries out this mission by educating leaders and local communities by promoting awareness, advocacy and change in public policy for individuals with physical disabilities. Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts seeks to give women with physical disabilities in the Commonwealth a forum for the promotion of the achievements as well as the needs of mobility impaired persons. The non-profit program is staffed and coordinated by volunteers throughout the state dedicated to increasing public awareness so that all its citizens will be able to lead productive and meaningful lives. Unlike traditional pageants, the Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts Program is in no way a beauty contest. It is instead a competition to select the most accomplished and articulate spokesperson for the disabled in Massachusetts. The selected representative must be able to communicate both the needs and the accomplishments of her constituency to the general public, the business community and the legislature. By her example, Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts will showcase the talents, accomplishments and value of people with disabilities. As Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts, her duties are numerous. Each year she will have the opportunity to travel, visiting advocacy groups, making public appearances and conducting radio, print and TV interviews in the fulfillment of her responsibilities. These include promoting awareness of the need to eliminate architectural and attitudinal barriers, informing the able-bodied public of the achievements of disabled people across Massachusetts and promoting Ms. Wheelchair America by competing in the annual Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant and by assisting in the establishment of programs in all of the states.