Ms. Wheelchair stripped of title for standing up — Headline of the year.
APPLETON, Wisconsin (AP) — Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin has been stripped of her title because pageant officials say she can stand — and point to a newspaper picture as proof.
Janeal Lee, who has muscular dystrophy and uses a scooter, was snapped by The Post-Crescent newspaper standing among her high school math students.
“I’ve been made to feel as if I can’t represent the disabled citizens of Wisconsin because I’m not disabled enough,” Lee said Thursday.
via P. McEntee
I don’t see how this is a story. An organization decides to have a “beauty” contest for disabled. It has every right to define “disabled.” If they want to define it to mean that the individual cannot walk, it’s perfectly acceptable and legal.
And that definition makes sense. Obviously the group wanted to show that a disabled person can be beautiful too. From a public relations point of view, it does the group no good when the winner can stand and walk just like any other beauty contest winner.
And the catcher to me is that obviously Janeal Lee was aware of this, but proceeded to enter the contest anyway. If anyone is to blame, it’s her.
Haste makes waste. If I was in a wheelchair, I think I would take my time. These things aren’t built for speed, they are built for safety. What next, wheelchair drag racing? Burn up that quarter mile.