Ms. Wheelchair Alabama speaks at Liberty Middle
Her mission is to break “the barriers of social misconception and social awkwardness” that surround disabilities.
BY ANNA DURRETT / REPORTER
Shannon Roberts, who is currently serving as Ms. Wheelchair Alabama, spoke to students at Liberty Middle School on Thursday. She also was presented with an AmTryke bicycle from the nonprofit Huntsville Tennessee Valley Friends AMBUCS. The Huntsville organization Civitans Care funded the purchase of the bike.
Roberts spoke about her life to the Liberty students and answered questions about disabilities. Her mission is to break “the barriers of social misconception and social awkwardness” that surround disabilities. She used students in the audience to show the difficulty of using a wheelchair. “Being in that chair isn’t as easy as you would think,” Roberts said. She talked about how after she was injured in a car accident she had to struggle to learn how to do things again such as open doors, but that it was important for her to struggle so she could build up enough strength to do it more easily.
“For me, if I’m doing something, I don’t want help unless I ask,” she said.
She told students all people are different and encouraged them to ask people with disabilities if they need help. “If they say no, I’ve got it, then let them struggle.”
Civitans Care president Jim McKemy came to Liberty to help surprise Roberts with the bike.
“To see the look on her face was just remarkable,” McKemy said. “Anytime you can add mobility to a person with a disability, it’s a great thing.”
She knew her getting a bike was in the works because a physical therapist fitted her for a bike last November.
Tami Tubell, a physical therapist and chapter secretary and AmTryke Program Manager at Huntsville AMBUCS, was also at Liberty. She said she was excited for Roberts to get to start using the bike so she can get cardiovascular exercise. According to Tubell, the bike cost 800 dollars with shipping.
The 2012 Ms. Wheelchair Alabama Foundation Pageant will be held March 24th in Huntsville at Children’s Rehab Services. Women ages 21-60 that use a wheelchair 100 percent of the time for community mobility and have been an Alabama resident for at least 6 months are eligible to enter the competition. Interested parties can find more information at mswheelchairalabamafoundation.com. You can follow Roberts on Facebook to learn more about her story and her work in Alabama.
