Not Disabled Enough

In an article in the Appleton Post Crescent, we learn the Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin was stripped of her title because it was discovered by pageant organizers that she is able to stand.

A steering committee led by Gina Hackel of Freedom, a former Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin and pageant state coordinator, is stripping Lee of her crown. It said she was photographed in The Post-Crescent’s Heart of the Valley supplement, The Current, standing in her classroom, adding that she does not always use her scooter and that she walks in her classroom.

The move raises questions about criteria used in the selection process.

They (candidates) have to “mostly be seen in public using their wheel chairs or scooters,” said Judy Hoit, Ms. Wheelchair America board of directors treasurer, supporting the move. “Otherwise, you’ve got women who are in their wheelchairs all the time and they get offended if they see someone standing up. We can’t have title holders out there walking when they’re seen in the public.”

Lee disagrees with the assessment.

“The way they see it, you’re either 100 percent disabled or 0 percent disabled, when in reality everyone is somewhere in between. It gives us a narrow view of who a person with a disability is,” she said Thursday. “I’ve been made to feel as if I can’t represent the disabled citizens of Wisconsin because I’m not disabled enough.”