ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
There have been multiple Kansas pageant contestants who have gone on to bring home a national crown, and recently, another Kansan did just that.
Last week, Ms. Wheelchair Kansas Tamara Blackwell was crowned Ms. Wheelchair America, and as she tells it, the road was a very interesting one.
“I'm originally from Kansas City, Mo., and my family and I moved to Wichita when I was in 6th grade. I'd never actually done a pageant before, the Ms. Wheelchair Kansas Pageant was my first major exposure to the pageant scene and competition,” Blackwell said. “And because I won the Kansas competition, I had to compete in the national competition, which I ended up also winning.”
Blackwell said her interest in the pageant circuit began a couple years ago when she was searching for a new direction.
“It was about two years ago when I was praying to find a new direction for myself and my life. In 2020, I did what a lot of other people did and joined TikTok to scroll through and see what other creators were posting. I realized TikTok was a platform I could utilize for more than just funny videos and things like that, and how I could share my faith and stories about my life and background as a woman in a wheelchair,” Blackwell said. “From there, my interest was piqued as far as becoming more of an advocate, and I stumbled upon the Ms. Wheelchair Kansas Pageant while scrolling through Google one day, and I ended up doing a meet-and-greet with the board, and they walked me through the process of how everything would go. I was actually going to put it off and I'd thought 'Maybe I'll try it SOMEDAY,' because I assumed it was more like a pageant like what people typically think of, and I've also got two nearly grown children. But I was assured the pageant was something I should give some serious consideration to, and I also thought 'Who knows if I'm going to get this opportunity again?' since life is unexpected. So I submitted my application and went through everything, and the rest is history. My main hangup was I was thinking of whether the pageant was something that could help change the trajectory of things for someone like even my children – even though they haven't been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, like I have, I know they're at risk, and like I said earlier, life definitely throws unwanted curveballs our way. Eventually, I just realized I needed to do something, and this pageant could help shift the narrative, and I ultimately just decided to go for it.”
Hearing her name called as Ms. Wheelchair Kansas was extremely surreal, Blackwell said.
“I was surrounded by the other contestants who had done a fabulous job, and the pageant was also one of the rare times when I wasn't the only person in the room in a wheelchair, so being among that community for something like this was definitely the best part for me,” Blackwell said. “Winning was definitely the cherry on top, and I was just really happy. I knew I had to hit the ground running because I want to get the word out about how we exist in the world – and I don't want us to just exist, I want people with disabilities to be seen and heard and have a voice at the table. We need to be out there at events like fairs and concerts and everywhere else, so it's amazing for me to know I could have a hand in that and potentially help someone else come out of their comfort zone and living life.”
Last week then saw Blackwell compete in the Ms. Wheelchair America competition.
“The national competition was about like the Kansas competition, just 1,000 times more amped up,” Blackwell said with a laugh. “This year's competition was in Grand Rapids, Mich., and we stayed at an absolutely gorgeous hotel, and it was a week of sisterhood and bonding and learning about each other. Even before we hit the road to Michigan though, all of us were already being judged because we had to submit an essay that was blindly judged by the panel, and there was also an application that was actually more akin to a résumé that had to be done before we got there. Once we got there, we were able to meet with the judges, including a couple days when they asked us all multiple questions, and there was also a night when everyone got to see us onstage and we all had to give our platform speeches and talk about what we wanted to do. After that, everything was then taken into consideration, and that was when the top five were chosen. After that was another interview session, and then the overall winner was chosen.”
Hearing her name called again, this time as Ms. Wheelchair America, added to the surrealness of Blackwell’s inaugural pageant experience.
“I was shocked to be in the top five for the national competition, and there was actually a brief point when the envelope with that was actually missing, but everything was eventually righted. When my name was called forward for the top five, my only thought was 'WOW,' and nerves were heavy for everyone, and we were all also exhausted because we'd been in all the workshops and everything else, and it was a lot,” Blackwell said. “And then when they started going down the list for the runners-up, my name kept not being called, and it came down to me and Ms. Wheelchair Michigan, Shantá Favors. We were holding hands and I was thinking over and over 'She's going to win,' because she was absolutely phenomenal. But her name was called as the first runner-up and my only thought after realizing I'd actually won was 'Huh?' because it was all just so surreal, and it definitely took a couple minutes for it to fully sink it. I went into the pageant knowing I was capable of winning, just like everyone else, but there's always that little part that's prepared for if you don't win something. It took a bit for that realization to fully sink in, and then I was just so happy and blessed, and it's still a bit surreal.”
And Blackwell said she intends to remain quite busy in her new role.
“I'd already had a few entries on my calendar due to winning the Kansas title, so there are already some commitments I have in the future, and part of winning the Kansas title requires me to do some traveling throughout the state and working on spreading word about my platform,” Blackwell said. “And now that I've won the national title, I have to do some traveling throughout the country, and I have to go to make it to at least 10 different states during my tenure. I've been putting commitments on my calendar for appearances at expos and other similar events both in Kansas and throughout the U.S., so I'll be representing Kansas and the U.S. among all of that. Along with the bigger events, there are some other smaller events I'd like to be part of, such as parades, and maybe the Kansas State Fair, things like that.”
Blackwell’s platform will center on accessibility.
“My platform starts with the question 'Am I going to fit?' And it's all about navigating accessibility through personal experience, because the idea for my platform comes from personal experience. I – and I'm sure many others who are disabled would say the same – have contacted places where I've been assured it's perfectly accessible and wheelchair-friendly, but then when actually getting there, have found it's not,” Blackwell said. “Either that, or there are big hoops to jump through, or it takes the people in charge a bit to realize someone maybe actually CAN'T fit up the aisle in their wheelchair, or sit at a table with everyone else like normal. My goal is to help shed some light on the complexities of what accessibility truly means, because it's so much more than having the blue placard to show where you can park, or which bathrooms are accessible, etc. Those are the things I want to share and bring awareness to, and I want to let people know accessibility doesn't just benefit the disabled community, it actually benefits EVERYONE, whether it's the inclusion of a ramp, or a push button. One particular example that comes to mind is mothers with strollers, because she might need to push the button to open the door so she can get into the store, or maybe an elderly person needs a bit of extra help and can't hold the door and carry their groceries at the same time. It truly benefits everyone, and that's what I want to emphasize. Also, disability does not discriminate, whether it happens through a genetic disorder, like me, or through an unfortunate accident, like Ms. Wheelchair Michigan, Shantá Favors, who was going up the stairs at her job when she tripped and ultimately broke her neck. Like I said earlier, life throws curveballs, so making everything way more accessible would only be beneficial to not just people like me, but everyone as a whole.”
Blackwell said she would also like to see more accessibility at playgrounds.
“I would love to see playgrounds become more wheelchair accessible because a lot of times, there's either sand or mulch on the ground, and wheelchairs can't navigate that stuff,” Blackwell said. “And I'm not just thinking about children who deserve the chance to play with their classmates and their families, but what about the wheelchair-bound parent who wants to take their child to the park who want to be at the end of the slide when their child comes down giggling? Or, if their child is hurt, how is that parent supposed to easily get to them to render aid? I know there are some initiatives to help with that, and I'd love to throw my support and status behind them, because again, making things more accessible is only beneficial. I know Florida actually has a law that with any new construction, there has to be someone on the committee who's disabled who can be the consultant and make sure the handicap-accessible measures actually work, and I'd love to see more policies like that get enacted.”
Overall, Blackwell said, she is excited for her new role.
“Being crowned Ms. Wheelchair America is just so exciting overall, and this will open so many doors for me, so I'm looking forward to exploring all my options and seeing what I can do,” Blackwell said. “There are a couple projects I'm working on at the moment I can't reveal too much about, but I will be sharing that soon, and there are also some other things I'm thinking about that I would like to do, but there are some logistics to work out and think about. I'll definitely be busy and out and about as Ms. Wheelchair America, and if anyone wants to follow me on social media, they can certainly do so, and my Facebook page is called Ms. Wheelchair America 2025 – Tamara Blackwell for anyone who wants to keep up with what I'll be doing.”
