More than beauty

As Aimee Wehmeier adjusts the seat of her wheelchair, it makes a “zzt” when it goes up and a “zzt” when it goes down — like a Lexus owner getting comfortable behind the wheel.

“The accessories keep getting better and better,” she said.

She would know. Wehmeier, 34, got her first wheelchair at 4 years old, her first power wheelchair at 12. And she says improvements in the intervening years have been more than just bells and whistles.

“Today they fit so much better. Back then, basically it was a wheelchair that had a motor and rolled. Today, they are custom-built. Everything is measured: height, width, all those kinds of things.”

The longtime Columbia resident will travel to Albany, N.Y., to represent Missouri in the 33rd annual Ms. Wheelchair America pageant, which is July 19-24. Although the pageant has been around since 1972, Missouri has only sent three previous representatives, in 2001, 2002 and 2004.

The title of Ms. Wheelchair Missouri 2005 is an honor Wehmeier never thought she’d receive, mostly because she never thought she’d sign up.

“I felt a little uncomfortable with the whole pageant to begin with, and it’s not really an area that’s comfortable for me,” she said.

Unlike that other Miss America pageant, Ms. Wheelchair America isn’t a beauty contest. Instead, it looks for an accomplished, articulate and enthusiastic spokeswoman for people with disabilities. Wehmeier was selected to represent Missouri after she sent letters of recommendation and had three phone interviews with state judges.

Elysse Power, Ms. Wheelchair Missouri’s state coordinator, says Wehmeier’s advocacy work is well established.

“Her background is amazing,” Power said.

Speaking engagements and conference talks on the topic of acceptance are part of Wehmeier’s routine. She is involved in myriad organizations, including Services for Independent Living, the Human Rights Coalition and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

“I love getting people of different backgrounds and different experiences together and talking and kind of building relationships,” she said.

Being Ms. Wheelchair Missouri means more than focusing on people with disabilities.

“Although I have a disability and I can speak from the perspective of a woman with a disability and who uses a wheelchair, really what’s most important for me is diversity as a whole and creating an inclusive environment for everybody — whether that be race, gender, sexism, ageism, disability, sexual orientation — all those things. I think it’s all very much related to each other, and I think in order to sort of beat one of them you have to beat all of them.”

Wehmeier learned of her victory in the Ms. Wheelchair Missouri Pageant via a surprise phone call on April 1. The next day, she went to Kansas City to receive her crown and attended a luncheon in her honor.

Now, she has to prepare for the national event.

When Wehmeier travels to New York, she must come bearing a gift that represents Missouri. She will also prepare a display on Missouri and be prepared to expound a platform representing her beliefs, which she will share in a 2½ -minute presentation.

Originally from St. Charles, Wehmeier came to MU in 1989 to get her degree and has been here ever since. Columbia’s downtown area and the town on the whole get high marks for handicapped accessibility.

“In Columbia, I never have to think about whether something’s going to be accessible,” she said.

“I just make an assumption that it will be. And if it’s not, then I would be very surprised by that,” she said. “Whereas St. Louis or Kansas City or, you know, Chicago, I always have to think, ‘Is it going to be accessible?’ ”

Wehmeier has a form of muscular dystrophy called spinal atrophy. It’s a genetic disease, but no one else in her family has it — her parents were carriers without knowing it, she said.

“Basically it means my muscles are very weak. I’ve never walked, and really it’s because my muscles are too weak,” Wehmeier said.

The disease is progressive but slow. It also puts Wehmeier at risk for lung problems; a collapsed lung at 12 made Wehmeier especially aware of how careful she must be.

Wehmeier has worked for State Farm Insurance for eight years. She has a boyfriend, four cats and a best friend from kindergarten who also moved to Columbia and lives in her neighborhood.

Personal care attendants take care of some everyday things, and when she travels to New York for the pageant, a friend has volunteered to come along to lend a hand. But Wehmeier’s family has always expected her to be independent, she said.

When she was younger, some people wanted to put her in a special school. Her mother wouldn’t allow it. Furthermore, it was never a question that Wehmeier would go to college.

“I can remember my mom saying, ‘You’d better get a good job because you’ll never be able to wait tables,’ ” she said.

It was good advice, considering the expense of living with a disability. Although she has insurance, Wehmeier’s wheelchair cost $20,000. And to outfit her van with the special equipment needed to load the chair, it cost $15,000 on top of the price of the vehicle.

“I’m very fortunate because I am able to work,” she said. “But there are lots of people with disabilities who can’t.”

Wehmeier is proud to be Ms. Wheelchair Missouri, but it’s not the only thing going on in her life. In addition to balancing her job, her boyfriend and her pets, she started MBA classes at MU this month. She’s also helped organize a June 9 fundraiser for Services for Independent Living and is speaking at the Missouri Youth Leadership Forum in July at MU.

“The disability is only one part of me,” she said. “And, honestly, it’s not the most important part at all.”