Ms Wheelchair Texas returns home with accolades

Ms Wheelchair Texas 2018 Angel Arredondo left San Marcos on July 31 to compete in the 47th annual Ms. Wheelchair America National Competition held in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel.

Arredondo, a San Marcos resident, was born with a rare condition called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (AMC). AMC is a disease that afflicts one in 3,000 newborns with decreased flexibility of the joints. Symptoms differ drastically from person to person, but most include stiff joints and muscle weakness that often result in the use of wheelchairs for mobility.

Although Arredondo has lived with the limitations that AMC presents, she has used her position in life as a position of advocacy. In addition to being a wife and mother, she is a published author of a children’s book, an advocate for diversity in the workplace, a presenter for the We Are Girls Empowerment Network and the Youth Writers’ Workshop, an inclusion model for PhotoAbility.net and a committee advisor on resources for disabled women’s pelvic health and reproduction.

Arredondo competed alongside 25 women from across the nation for the title of Ms. Wheelchair America and although Arredondo didn’t place in the top five contestants, she did walk away with the Nicki Ard Award – an honor that recognizes Arredondo’s creative work in disability advocacy through her her children’s book.

“I didn’t make the top five, but when I received this award I was like ‘who cares?’ because that’s just a sash, this is something that recognized my book too,” Arredondo said.

Ard was Ms. Wheelchair America 2001. She died one month before her reign was complete and the Ms. Wheelchair America Competition created an award in her honor, that is given to the contestant who best expresses Ard's creative spirit in service to others. Only one other Ms. Wheelchair Texas has received the award in the competition’s 47 years, Ms. Wheelchair Texas 2009 Ana Calvo.

Arredondo published the first book of a children series called the Angel’s Heart Series in 2016. The series touches on her experiences as a child living with a disability and provides a way to open up the dialogue on disabilities between children, parents and teachers. The first book of the series, “I Love My Red Wagon,” was dedicated to her elementary school principal who purchased her a little red wagon that contributed to not only her mobility, but also her success as a motivated student, playful friend and independent girl. The second book in the series, “I Love Walking In Water,” is written and ready for publication.

“My third book will be about – and I haven’t written it yet, but I already know what it’ll be about – it’ll be about when I got my first electric wheelchair in the sixth grade,” Arredondo said. “My fourth book will be about my daughter when she was at the age of five and it’ll be her perspective of having a mom in a wheelchair or that is different from other moms and how we used to do things together. And the last will be about me and my Ladybug (Arredondo’s cocker spaniel mix companion), because she does a lot of things that not every dog does.”

Contestants from all 26 states brought flair from their home states to the competition. State Senator Donna Campbell provided Arredondo with Texas ones to hand out. Daily Record photos by Denise Cathey

Arredondo has accomplished a lot in giving those with disabilities a voice, but her advocacy has grown even more since she was officially crowned Ms. Wheelchair Texas 2018 on March 25. As Ms. Wheelchair Texas, Arredondo’s duties are numerous. She is charged with promoting awareness of the need to eliminate architectural and attitudinal barriers, educating Texans on disability issues and competing in the Ms. Wheelchair America Competition – a once in a lifetime opportunity, because only state winners can move on to the national level and once you are crowned at the state level, you can never compete again.

Ms. Wheelchair America has built a unique tradition of focusing on women’s accomplishments and advocacy since 1972. Throughout the week-long conference, women represent states across the country and are judged based on their ability to make a difference for the more than 56 million Americans living with disabilities.

Preceding the Crowning Gala, contestants spent one week participating in a leadership institute composed of a rigorous schedule of mentoring, workshops and private and public presentations, including their platform speech presentation and on-stage questions.

“This is all about advocacy and becoming a spokeswoman for people with disabilities, and not just at the state level, but on the national level,” Arredondo said. “Overall, the experience was exhausting and very empowering. If you didn’t know who you were before you got there, you definitely know by the time you leave. You have a whole sense of self afterwards.”

Arredondo’s sash from competing in the 2019 Ms. Wheelchair America Competition

Arredondo still has work cut out for her until her reign ends in March 2019. She is currently working on the REV UP (Register, Educate, Vote, Use your Power) Campaign, that aims to increase the political power of the disability community while also engaging candidates and the media on disability issues. And Monday she will be heading to the Texas Disabilities Forum in Austin meeting with potential and current lawmakers in the state. She will also be meeting with State Senator Donna Campbell on Sept. 10 to address Arredondo’s concerns for Texas’ disability community.

“I know that sometimes that other issues take priority, but we are the community that is almost always overlooked. Lawmakers think because we got the ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) in 1990 that that would be enough, but it needs a lot of adjustments.”

Arredondo wants to speak with Campbell about the necessary assistance that those with disabilities often need to work and live independently.

“Our main goal is to be independent and be a productive person in society; that means jobs, paying taxes – anything that’s going to better our community,” Arredondo said. “And if we don’t have assistance sometimes – because in reality we need assistance and if we don’t have that – it’s often too hard for us to be out there being independent as we want to be.

“Everybody is worthy of accepting who they are and becoming independent adults. Inclusion means everything to us, so it’s important for us to be out there and making ourselves known. That’s why my platform is so important to me, because it starts with children. If we can help our children to accept themselves from an early age, then we won’t have to work so hard as advocates, because they'll grow up with self worth and they won’t let anyone stop them.”

Arredondo will also be advocating alongside Ms Wheelchair America 2019 Karen Roy at the abilitySTRONG Parade in San Antonio on Oct. 20.