Ms. Wheelchair looks for applicants

Indiana scored its first-ever Miss America this year, and People On Wheels is hoping it will be able to say the same for Ms. Wheelchair USA.

People On Wheels is sponsoring Ms. Wheelchair Indiana at 10 a.m. March 28 at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana in Indianapolis.

Ms. Wheelchair USA began in 2005 with a mission to help disabled women and promote awareness about their issues.

“These women are two and a half feet shorter than everyone else, and sometimes it’s like they don’t even exist,” said Nancy Cotterill, president of People On Wheels. “They have just as much to offer as the next person.”

Applicants must be between 21 and 60 years of age, use a scooter or wheelchair 100 percent of the time and have resided in Indiana for at least six months.

Applications must be received by March 10 and can be found at www.peopleonwheels.org/MWI.pdf or by calling People On Wheels at 317-946-8115.

Cotterill said one of the main goals of the pageant is to make people realize the problems of accessibility.

She said that while Indiana’s accessibility is decent, it remains a huge problem nationwide.

“We were in a restaurant in South Carolina, and there was no way for them to get inside. They had to use the kitchen,” Cotterill said.

Gretchen Fox, chief business development officer of Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana, said she is excited to work with Cotterill and People On Wheels.

“RHI is supporting her with the event details and reaching out to our connections around the state and as well as previous patients,” she said.