THREE RIVERS AREA — The sash across her chest and the sparkling tiara atop her head denote a beauty pageant winner. Although she may be beautiful, that’s not what earned Judy Little the title of Ms. Wheelchair Arkansas 2010.
She entered the door of the restaurant at an angle, pushing the
door open with the arm of her electric wheelchair. This enabled
her to maneuver the heavy door with ease.
“You figure these things out as you go along,” Little said con
fidently.
As a child, Little wanted to be a missionary.
The Cave City woman is now on a mission to help people
who have disabilities. And she knows firsthand the difficulties
of being in a wheelchair.
“There is an assumption that if you’re in a wheelchair, you
can’t do anything for yourself, and that’s not true,” Little said
emphatically.
Taking a vacation from her job as a rural mail carrier in
February 2000, Little was on her way home with her husband.
When she momentarily unbuckled her passenger-side seat belt
to straighten some things in the back seat, their truck began
fishtailing on the wet pavement. The truck left the road and
rolled over three times.
She almost lost her life, but instead she lost her ability to
walk. After a lengthy hospital stay, Little, 52, found herself un
employed.
“There is no light duty in the rural-carrier craft,” Little said.
She maintained her upper-body strength, so she was still able
to do many things for herself.
Being confined to a wheelchair didn’t stop her. Drawing onher experience as a disc jockey, Little enrolled in college, majoring in communications.
The Ms. Wheelchair Arkansas program is not a beauty contest. There are no talent, evening gown or swimsuit competitions. The program focuses on a woman’s self-perception, projection, advocacy work, communication skills and abilities.
“It opens opportunities to open doors to be able to share with folks that we all have our differences, but we’re still thesame,” Ms. Wheelchair Arkansas state coordinator Ida Esh’t said. “It is for women to be able to speak about their disabilities.”
Little’s platform as Ms. Wheelchair Arkansas is to promote a positive change by raising awareness of the advanced technologies available. Because each disability is different, there are many architectural barriers, Little said.
“I see some lax places,” Little said. “Like they are ridiculous. They think it is handicapped accessible, but it’s not doing anything for us.”
For example, in order for Little to get in and out of her van, she needs two parking spaces. If she has to park between two cars, she can’t open the side door and let the wheelchair ramp out.
Until Little was able to obtain a 10-year loan for a used van that is equipped for a person in a wheelchair, she had a manual wheelchair and a car with hand controls instead of pedals.
Before she had her van and electric wheelchair, she still clung to her independence as much as possible. She said she really utilized her upper-body strength by sitting in the passenger side of her car, taking the wheels offof her wheelchair and putting them in the back seat. Then she would scoot over to the driver’s seat and fold her wheelchair and pull it into the car.
“Technology creates independence,” Little said, referring to her electric wheelchair and outfitted vehicle.
Little said she still has those days when she just gets down, but she takes comfort in her family: her three children, six grandchildren and parents, Gladdie and Hubert Rush of Evening Shade.
“Things like [children and grandchildren] come along andchange my outlook,” Little said. “I just stop and think about all the things I’ve been blessed with.”
Hoping to use her reign as Ms. Wheelchair Arkansas, Little plans to change the perspective the public has of people with disabilities. Not only does she plan to change the hearts of society, she strives to make changes in the workplace, public establishments, recreational facilities and homes.
“I just think she is dynamite; she has a beautiful message about how she acquired her disability and what she’s donewith her life since,” Esh’t said about Little.
One of Little’s main focuses is to educate employers and help them figure out ways to maintain their employees, or hire others, who are handicapped. She said she would like children to see their parents go to work and not give in to their disabilities.
“Maybe some of the laws need to be looked at,” Little said. “It’s been 20 years since the [People With Disabilities Act].” - jbrosius@ arkansasonline.com
Three Rivers, Pages 53 on 06/24/2010