Ms. Wheelchair California 2009 : Ms. Wheelchair America 2010, 2nd Runner Up: Hans Keirstead of the UCI Spinal Cord Research Facility

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Hans Keirstead of the UCI Spinal Cord Research Facility

There is fantastic work being done in the medical world regarding finding a cure for spinal cord injuries, and people like Dr. Hans Keirstead is a huge part of changing lives in the future! What an amazing man who has a true heart and passion for getting things done and for improving the lives of so many people, one step at a time.

Alyson had the privilege of touring his research lab at the University of California, Irvine, and wow, was she blown away! Everyone there is working so hard, so meticulous, yet very passionate about what they do every day. All are truly dedicated to doing what it takes to find a cure for disabilities/diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and spinal cord injuries to name a few.

Dr. Hans Keirstead and Alyson Roth

Dr. Hans Keirstead explaining the amazing work he's doing with stem cells to help the body heal itself after a spinal cord injury.

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LeoAugust 24, 2009 at 11:27 PM
UCI has to be one of my fav universities in the nation - and Irvine sure is an awesome city that i'd consider living in
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Ms. Wheelchair California is available for speaking engagements, master of ceremony events, parades, photo opportunities and other community events. All events will be considered, and if deemed appropriate and scheduling allows, the Ms. Wheelchair California Foundation will do its best to accommodate your request.

Please contact the Ms. Wheelchair California office www.mswheelchaircaliforniafoundation.org.

(* Please note that during my reign, my title was underneath the Ms. Wheelchair California pageant with Ruthee Goldkorn as the State Coordinator. Ms. Wheelchair America no longer recognizes her pageant as part of the National program, thus a new Foundation was begun for future title holders to continue spreading advocacy in a positive manner.)

Biography

Alyson Roth, Ms. Wheelchair California 2009, lived in Southern California when she was crowned. In 2000, Alyson was involved in a near-fatal car accident that left her with a spinal cord injury and paralyzed from the waist down. Alyson obtained her BS in Music Education at Samford University, and her MS in Elementary Reading and Literacy from Walden University. While at Samford University, she was successful in establishing a “Disability Awareness Week” where students learned about different disabilities and simulated them in order to understand the barriers that confronted students with disabilities. It brought a new awareness to the campus and became a catalyst for further accessibility within the community. After graduation, she taught music in the public and private school sector before joining Free Wheelchair Mission in 2007. Free Wheelchair Mission is a non-profit organization that distributes wheelchairs to over 80 countries around the world to the poorest people with disabilities.

Alyson continued her advocacy by speaking at both the National Association for Music Education’s National Convention (2004) with her session entitled “Barrier-free Music Education: Concepts of Inclusion” and the National Orff Schulwerk Association National Convention (2005) with her session entitled “Mainstreaming the Process”. These sessions taught other music educators how to turn able-bodied music lessons into lessons that included those children with disabilities in the mainstreamed classroom. She has also written several articles and been published in several magazines regarding disability awareness.

Yosemite National Park is now more wheelchair friendly and ADA compliant due to Alyson’s input while sitting on the Board of Directors. She has assisted Habitat for Humanity to help build a house for a disabled member of the Atlanta inner-city community. To bring more recognition to those with disabilities, Alyson presented the “Ability through Mobility” Award to four recipients around the country for their outstanding work within their community despite their disability. She has traveled to Nicaragua to work at an orphanage for children with disabilities and teach music at a school for the blind. Alyson has also traveled to Mexico to deliver wheelchairs to the country’s poorest people with disabilities and has had the opportunity to collaborate with the former president of Mexico, President Vicente Fox, about the importance of providing wheelchairs to the citizens of Mexico in addition to providing aide and healthcare to everyone.

In her free time, Alyson enjoys providing mentorship for newly injured patients, participating in several outdoor activities including waterskiing, surfing, and swimming. It is Alyson’s desire to educate the public on the truths of having a disability and empower those with a disability to be all they can be in a world full of possibilities.

Ms. Wheelchair California 2009 : Ms. Wheelchair America 2010, 2nd Runner Up

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Hans Keirstead of the UCI Spinal Cord Research Facility

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