Understanding What It Means to Be a Cardinal

As a master's student at the University of Louisville, I am also a peudo ambassator for them as I travel around Kentucky. While I welcome any questions from Cardinal hopefuls and their parents, I'm totally uninformed about the undergraduate experience.

I'm certain my knowledge base will grow once I begin my graduate assistanceship, but in the meantime I enlisted Greg Vittitow, admissions counselor extrordinaire, to give me the 411 on undergraduate admission. He was a wealth of helpful information, and thanks to him I know enough now to field some basic questions at school presentations.

Meeting with Congressman John Yarmuth

I had the opportunity to meet United States Congressman John Yarmuth today. Congressman Yarmuth and his staff were incredibly receptive to the Ms. Wheelchair Kentucky program, in part because of the strong relationship MWKY 2007, Sherry Hixenbaugh, established there.

Congressman Yarmuth and I covered many important topics, but he was particularly interested in my stance on two particular issues:

• The need to ensure US service personnel returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have access to state-of-the-art rehabilitation for ambulatory and traumatic brain injuries, and that their care includes family counseling and mental health services; and


• Attention to disabled students' access to postsecondary education and financial assistance during reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

I was thrilled to meet Congressman Yarmuth, and am confident I will be working with his office throughout my reign.

Policy Meeting with Senator Mitch McConnell's Staff

I had the opportunity to meet with Larry Cox, State Director for U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell today. As senior senator for Kentucky and minority leader, Senator McConnell has the unique opportunity to affect national policy for Kentucky residents with disabilities. My meeting with Mr. Cox allowed me a chance to introduce the Ms. Wheelchair Kentucky program and the initiatives I will support this year. Overall, it was a great introductory event, and one I hope will foster ongoing communication about the issues facing the disabled community. We discussed these critical policies:

• Strategic consideration of disabled students and transitional post-secondary education programs during re-authorization of the Higher Education Act, including support for programs encouraging collaboration and cross-training between high school counselors and vocational rehabilitation professionals;
• Increased demand for improvement to infrastructure and services on behalf of veterans and families facing physical, mental and emotional disabilities;
• Support for measures to ensure equal access to accessible housing options and visit-able communities, including scrutiny of Housing and Urban Development policies designed to promote diversity in home ownership and decrease housing discrimination against people with disabilities; and
• Continued improvement to transportation infrastructure with an eye toward access and ultimately increased employability for disabled Americans.

I'm looking forward to a follow up meeting with Mitch McConnell before Ms. Wheelchair America

CP Kids Center Fashion Show Dinner

The CP Kids Center is remarkable resource for Louisville families whose children have cerebral palsy and other disabilities. Each year their clients dress up and show off winter fashions from area departments stores, and the show's proceeds benefit the center. I was invited to the rehearsal dinner, November 16, 2007. I met lots of wonderful kids and their parents, but one of my favorite new friends is Candace Warburg, a local high school beauty, who has convinced me Kentucky needs a Junior Miss Pageant.

Ms. Wheelchair Kentucky 2008

What a whirlwind weekend! I am so thrilled to be representing the more than 800,000 Kentucky residents with disabilities. I would like to thank pageant organizers and sponsors for a terrific event. More importantly, I want to thank my family and friends for their support.

After the pageant my husband, John, my parents and I went to dinner at the Gasthaus German Restaurant. What a delicious dining experience. Clearly family owned, it was the perfect, quaint and delectable way to celebrate my win. My U of L buddy Eric waited on us, and the owner was so thrilled to have "royalty"in the restaurant that she asked me to sign the guest book. This photo commemorates my first "autograph" as Ms. Wheelchair Kentucky 2008.