Ms. Wheelchair California 2009 : Ms. Wheelchair America 2010, 2nd Runner Up: June 2011

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Reflections from the Beginning

It's been a little over two years since I was first crowned Ms. Wheelchair California 2009. It was a remarkable year full of transition, challenges, accomplishments, and most of all wonderful memories and experiences!

Since that time, two new wonderful women have succeeded me in this tradition. Jennifer Kumiyama did a fantastic job during her reign. She even became the Director of the first ever Little Miss Wheelchair California this year! Corey Petersen was crowned this past April as the new Ms. Wheelchair California 2011, and she is off to an amazing start already with her platform and appearances. It's been wonderful to look back and see the groundwork that was layed by women before me, the accomplishments that I acheived to help those who are reigning now, and to also see the future ahead for those that will continue to compete. The Ms. Wheelchair America program is truly a family and a wonderful support system.

To start back at the beginning where my reign began, take a look at the very first blog by clicking here. What a wonderful journey it was in 2009! Finally, to learn more about the Ms. Wheelchair California program and keep up with the current title holders, please visit the website by clicking here. And as always, you can keep up with what I'm doing in my life by visiting my website at http://www.alysonroth.com/.

Be well, and love fully!

Schedule An Appearance

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, June 15, 2011

Reflections from the Beginning

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