Miss Wheelchair Pageants

Not all pageants for women are beauty pageants, as the various Miss Wheelchair (Ms. Wheelchair) programs across the country demonstrate. Many states sponsor pageants that award titles to the most articulate spokeswomen for those with mobility impairments.

One of the aims of teh Ms. Wheelchair America program is to increase public awareness of the needs and rights of those whose mobility is restricted.

Just like Miss America title-holders, Ms. Wheelchair America makes public appearances, grants interviews, and helps spread the message that the disabled can lead active and productive lives.

Consistent with the Miss America pageant, contestants for the Ms. Wheelchair America crown compete on the state level first.

Typically, contestants must be between the ages of 21 and 60 and must use a wheelchair for 100% of their daily mobility. As the title suggests, marital status is not a factor.

Many states also conduct junior competitions for girls aged 14 to 20. Like Ms. Wheelchair, the junior pageant winner is expected to be a spokesperson for the disabled, to lead by example, and to show how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) benefits all Americans.

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