CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio – Eight national finalists will compete in the Ms. Wheelchair USA pageant on Friday and Saturday at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls.

The competitors, who range in age from 20 to 53, each won their state or regional title in the pageant system for women with disabilities. All of this year’s finalists use a wheelchair.

“These ladies work so hard all year to get to this level and they all have so many stories to tell,” said Lowery Lockard, CEO and founder of Ms. Wheelchair USA and The Dane Foundation.

The finalists and their families have come from Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin, and two Ohioans are competing.

Isabella Burton, a Clermont County resident who attends the University of Cincinnati Clermont College, is Ms. Wheelchair Ohio USA. Miranda McCoy from Columbus is Ms. Wheelchair Midwestern USA.

“Some of them were born with their disabilities but a lot of them have either been injured or had developed a disease or an illness that has caused their disability, so they’ve certainly turned a lot of storms and challenges into stories that they want to share with people,” Lockard said.

Contestants will be judged on two interviews, an evening gown portion, an on-stage question, a marketing statement and a platform statement about their community service and what they want to promote with their title.

One of the contestants has a service dog and will speak about how service animals are trained, how they’re different from emotional support animals and why they’re important to people with disabilities.

Another contestant is a Navy veteran who will be speaking about the needs of military service members and veterans, including treatment for PTSD.

“There’s such a range of platforms,” Lockard said. “These are just amazing women.”

Ms. Wheelchair USA began in the 1990s as a state competition in Ohio and has expanded across the country. The program is run by The Dane Foundation, a Cuyahoga Falls-based nonprofit that addresses the needs of people with disabilities.

Doors open 6:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at Walsh Jesuit High School, 5440 Wyoga Lake Road. The program begins at 7:30 p.m. each night.

Orchestra seats on Friday are $25 and general admission is $20. On Saturday, which will include the crowning, coronation and reception, admission is $35 for orchestra seats and $30 for general admission.

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