7 September 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – After competing at the national level, a Northeast Kansas native was named 1st runner-up as Ms. Wheelchair at the national level.
After being named Ms. Wheelchair Kansas, Daija Coleman, from Atchison Kan., gained the title of being named first runner-up at 2023 Ms. Wheelchair America, according to a press release from Ms. Wheelchair Kansas. After a week-long competition in Grand Rapids, Mich., Coleman stood out amongst the 17 other women competing to represent women who are wheelchair-mobile in the U.S. She told 27 News that earning the title is more than just another competition.
“When I went into this competition, I was more focused on, you know, feeling that sisterhood and connecting with other people who are like me, that understand what it’s like to be a woman in a wheelchair,” Coleman said. “Every person with a disability is different. So, to be able to learn, not only from my perspective but also from 18 different perspectives, was life-changing.”
Coleman said it’s an honor to receive a title because the opportunity to compete in something like this only comes once.
“When you win your state competition, you have the opportunity to compete at nationals,” Coleman said. “That’s like a once-in-a-lifetime thing. If you don’t win at the state level, you can always compete again. But once you win at the state level that’s all you can compete.”
Along with the title, Coleman said she received $750 to support her own advocacy efforts to amplify disabled voices. Coleman is also working on creating a resource hub listing all available resources for the disabled community across the state on one website. Coleman hopes her accomplishments can inspire younger girls to grow up feeling empowered.
“Miss Wheelchair America is important because it’s all about representation,” Coleman said. “Every person with a disability is different. So, to be able to learn those experiences and those different stories and know that somewhere in the country there’s a little girl that has a role model like me that never really had had access to growing up; then that is one of the most important pieces to me because she’s able to know that anything in the world is possible.”