Monmouth's Ask the Doctor May/June 2019

Miss Wheelchair New Jersey By Pam Teel

Millie Gonzalez was born with Spina Bifida, a developmental disability affecting more than 166,000 people in the U.S. Judges crowned her Ms. Wheelchair NJ of 2019 after an afternoon of interviews and a platform speech on November 4th, 2018 at the Make a Wish Foundation, NJ. Ms. Wheelchair is a competition based on advocacy, achievement, communication and presentation. As the New Jersey State titleholder, Millie is working to educate, increase awareness, and advocate for the elimination of architectural and attitudinal barriers for the more than 54 million Americans living with disabilities using her platform ‘Sur- vival of the Fiercest: Taking Control of Your Life Through Self Care.’

As an outspoken advocate for people with disabilities, she will be using her platform to:

• empower people with disabilities to practice self-care and do what brings us joy;

• improve emergency preparedness, response and recovery for people with disabilities;

• encourage people with disabilities to face our addictions and seek related services; and

• amplify the voices of the disability community to increase positive disability awareness and understanding of disabil- ity culture and etiquette among the general public.

As the state titleholder, she is also responsible for attending and speaking at events throughout New Jersey and lobbying for disability-related issues. You can follow Millie on www.facebook.com/mwnj2019. Please consider donating to her gofundme page. 100% of funds raised will support her work, including travel, materials, etc., as Ms. Wheelchair New Jersey 2019, and to pro- mote and encourage people with disabilities to live fiercely. She will also be representing the State of New Jersey in the Ms. Wheelchair America 2020 competition in Little Rock, Arkansas, from July 1–7, 2019.

Follow Millie on www.facebook.com/MWNJ2019 or contact her via email to mswheelchairnj2019@gmail.com.

Millie Gonzalez, M.A. Ms. Wheelchair New Jersey 2019 Live Fiercely: Take Control of Your Life Through Self-Care #MWNJ2019 #LiveFiercely GoFundMe

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