AKRON, Ohio - Alicia Hopkins advocates for people with disabilities like it's a full-time job.

She has hosted art workshops at the Hub Community Center in Copley, volunteered to help Medicaid & Medicare recipients navigate MyCare Ohio and administrates the National Resource & Networking Room, offering help with transportation, child care and home repairs.

Now, the Stow resident is planning Akron's first All Abilities Art Expo, an art show designed for artists with disabilities.

"I really just want to help people with disabilities get their art out there," Hopkins said. "There's a lot of hidden artists that are trying to put their artwork out there and having a hard time. Sometimes shows are in places that are inaccessible for disabled people."

The All Abilities Art Expo will take place from 10 to 2 p.m. April 7 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron at 3300 Moorewood Rd., Fairlawn. The event will also feature various vendors and booths with exhibitors.

Artists must submit three pieces of their work and attend the event. Deadline to apply is March 24. Photos of the art submissions can be emailed to Hopkins here. Entry fee for the event is two canned food items, which will be donated to the church for its food pantry.

Hopkins, also an artist, suffers from dysautonomia, which involves the autonomic nervous system, causing fainting, cardiovascular issues and breathing problems. She uses a wheelchair in public.

But it doesn't seem to slow her roll.

Hopkins was told years ago she should not attend college, but she went anyway and earned a journalism degree from Malone University.

She also competed in the 2017 Ohio Miss Amazing, a pageant for girls and women with disabilities, and won the title Senior Miss Queen.

According to Jane Hash, who met Hopkins while volunteering to help patients navigate MyCare Ohio, Hopkins is gifted networker.

"Alicia is an awesome advocate for people with disabilities," Hash said. "When a problem is brought to her attention, she quickly organizes a plan of action and seeks the support of those who can be of service. She is also excellent at connecting people who share the same values and passions so that we can better move forward together."

The idea for an art show started when Hopkins recently participated in an show put on by some friends she made through Miss Amazing, submitting art she makes from recycled materials.

But it was after her art workshop in Copley that she realized she wanted to host something bigger, which led to the All Abilities Art Expo.

"I believe everyone has a story to tell through art," she said. "It also helps people get outside of their disability, to focus on the talent inside the person."

Hopkins volunteers for ArtSparks in Cuyahoga Falls, an educational outreach program that uses dance to encourage children to develop discipline, a standard of excellence, and a belief in themselves. She is also building a resource directory for disabled people.

Recently, Hopkins celebrated four years of managing the National Resource Networking Room.

"I just love information. I can do it even when I'm having a bad day or in the hospital and need to pass time," she said. "I think it's helpful when people know there are resources out there to help them."

Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com's Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.