UIS senior Alicia Woodman beat out 11 other contestants this past September to represent
Illinois in the national wheelchair pageant, which will take place in Ohio from July 24-30.

This is Woodman’s first competitive pageant. Although she has always been interested in participating in pageants, there were no options for women in wheelchairs to compete.

The Ms. Wheelchair USA pageant, which is put on by the Dane Foundation, celebrates the achievements of women with disabilities and promotes glamour, self-confidence, and community service – all while advocating and educating on behalf of individuals with disabilities.

Woodman received the honor to represent Illinois based on advocacy, merit, community service, and achievement. Woodman said, “I was very excited and surprised when I found out I won. I didn’t think I was going to be chosen, but I felt honored to represent Illinois.”

According to the Dane Foundation website, they hope to address the needs of individuals with developmental and physical disabilities and provide public awareness and understanding of individuals with such disabilities – the Ms. Wheelchair USA pageant provides a great platform to reach those goals.

Woodman is excited to compete in this upcoming pageant; she feels as though it is a great opportunity to raise awareness and support for individuals with disabilities.

“Not a lot of people know about this pageant or the foundation, so I’m excited to help spread the word about it,” she stated.

During the pageant, Woodman will be competing against individuals from every state and region throughout separate portions that will take place during the weeklong event.

These sections include an interview portion, a platform speech, an on-stage question, and an evening gown look.

To prepare for the upcoming competition, Woodman has been scheduling public appearances and researching information about her platform speech, which covers the accessibility of individuals with disability in businesses.

The title-winner of Ms. Wheelchair USA will go on to compete in Ms. Wheelchair International, which features women from all over the