April 2,2005

Hi Boo and All,
Here an News Artical that I Thought was really interesting and wanted to know your opinion and take on it:

Peculiar Postings

Ms. Wheelchair stands up, loses crown
Wisconsin pageant winner found to be 'not disabled enough'The Associated Press

Updated: 6:54 a.m. ET April 1, 2005APPLETON, Wis. - Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin has been stripped of her title because pageant officials say she can stand — and point to a newspaper picture as proof.

Janeal Lee, who has muscular dystrophy and uses a scooter, was snapped by The Post-Crescent newspaper standing among her high school math students. The photo was not an expose.
“I’ve been made to feel as if I can’t represent the disabled citizens of Wisconsin because I’m not disabled enough,” Lee said Thursday.

Lee, 30, of Appleton, had planned to go to the national pageant with her younger sister, who also has muscular dystrophy and won the competition in Minnesota.

Students at Kaukauna High School, where Lee teaches, raised $1,000 for her trip to the national pageant.

The move by the state pageant officials, led by coordinator Gina Hackel, is supported by the national board.

Candidates for the crown have to “mostly be seen in the public using their wheelchairs or scooters,” said Judy Hoit, Ms. Wheelchair America’s treasurer. “Otherwise you’ve got women who are in their wheelchairs all the time and they get offended if they see someone standing up. We can’t have title holders out there walking when they’re seen in the public.”

Hackel said Lee should have been aware of the rules.

The crown now goes to first runner-up Michelle Kearney of Milwaukee, who will travel to New York in July for the national pageant.

Thanks
Annie

That is OUTRAGEOUS.

I'm sure we'll see Jerry making a statement to follow that... if I were you, I would forward that story to MDA.

Just because she stood up, doesn't mean she isn't disabled. That kind of stuff is worse than the "pity" the telethon is accused of. “Otherwise you’ve got women who are in their wheelchairs all the time and they get offended if they see someone standing up. We can’t have title holders out there walking when they’re seen in the public.”

Where's the hope? If JL had said something like that, all bets would be off and a MEDIA CIRCUS would follow. There is NO excuse for that kind of behavior. Then again, I suppose all that particular organization look at is "the disabled person," not that the hope for a cure exists. Still though for an organization to remove a title because of that - is ludacris.

needs to hear about this one.

"thirty."

Spocky2001

I could'nt agree with you more. That was a terible thing to say and do.
I hope The MDA association finds out about this and can do and say something.
Jerry should be known about this also.

OK Annie Can you try and do something?

Thanks Vanessa

Sorry, I coldn't disagree with you more. Yes, there are different levels of being handicapped, some noticeable and some not so noticeable, but if the rules clearly state what they consider to be handicapped, then I must agree with the officials. In these times there are too many people trying to circumvent the systems in place. Everyone wants to sue and everyone feels they have been prejudiced against. Stop with the whining already. There are rules in place for everything but it seems like everyone wants to break them for their own convenience.
Of course the bottom line in this story is the lady has MD and is in a wheelchair sometimes. We can all feel bad about that, but we can all feel good that we try to help by watching and donating the telethon, and spreading the word.
If she isnt eligible for this pageant, so be it! There must be another pageant that would accept her for who she is and for the level of her disability.
Stop with the fighting and letter sending to MDA or Jerry. Grow up! It says she was aware of the rules so maybe shes not too swift either. None of us know the true full story.

While I have sympathy for the lady in question, I must agree with Joe on this one. Though I don't quite understand the reasoning behind the rules of the pageant, the rules still exist and should be followed, like them or not.

Here's an example. My son-in-law is basically confined to bed or wheelchair but can, at times, walk a little with a walker. Back in the day, he was an excellent pool shooter. On his "good" days, he can still manage a game of pool by dragging himself around and leaning on the table to hold himself up while he makes a shot. Even with his handicap, he can shoot rings around my son, my husband and me. When it's his turn to shoot, he makes jokes about how we can all take a nap, now, because it takes him so long to get in position to make a shot. Suppose there was a pool tournament for those in wheelchairs, and the rules stated that the person should not be able to stand or walk at all, even with the aid of a walker or by hanging on to the wall. My son-in-law enters and wins. It is later discovered that he can manage some time out of his wheelchair. He's then disqualified, and the runner-up is declared the winner. If this happened, we might not like it, but the rules were known going in, so the fault does not lie with the sponsors of the tournament, but with the person who didn't follow the rules of the tournament. Same for the person who didn't follow the rules of the pageant she entered.

Spocky, you're right. If JL had said something about her not being disabled enough it would be a media circus. I think you also had a good point when you implied that the organization that sponsored the pageant and MDA have different purposes. MDA is in the business of looking for a cure. The other organization is not.

Boo

OK Guys,

I understand now. Thanks for getting me stright now.

Vanessa

April 6, 2005


ALL, Thought you all would be interseted in what's happening with this story. See Article:


Sharon Cekada / The Post-Crescent Wisconsin crowns
replacement Ms. Wheelchair

Ouster of original winner
spurs outrage, resignations

Teacher Janeal Lee is seen in her algebra class Monday at Kaukauna High School in Kaukauna, Wis. Lee, 30, was stripped of her title as Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin.
The Associated Press

Updated: 8:52 p.m. ET April 5, 2005MILWAUKEE - A new Ms. WheelchairWisconsin has been crowned after pageant leaders stripped the original winner of the title when she appeared in a newspaper photograph standing up.

The announcement of the new winner Tuesday came amid a storm of protest over pageant officials’ decision last week to take the crown away from Janeal Lee, a high school teacher and muscular dystrophy sufferer who uses a scooter as her main way to get around but says she can walk up to 50 feet on a good day and stand while teaching.

During the furor, the runner-up refused to accept the crown out of protest. Lee’s sister, who also has muscular dystrophy and was named Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota, dropped out of the competition in that state. And the coordinator for the organization’s Minnesota program stepped down from her job to “stand up for Janeal Lee.”

“I no longer feel comfortable supporting an organization that instead of working towards creating a positive change, chooses to perpetuate stereotypes and requests its participants to hide their abilities while in public,” said the sister, 26-year-old Sharon Spring of Rochester, Minn.

Seen standing in photo
Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin officials stripped Lee of the crown after the 30-year-old was shown standing in her classroom in a photograph carried in a supplement to The Post-Crescent newspaper of Appleton.

The organization said candidates for the crown have to “mostly be seen in the public using their wheelchairs or scooters.”

The eventual winner was second runner-up Kim Jerman of Waukesha, one of five women who competed for the title during a January competition. She did not immediately return a call Tuesday from The Associated Press.

Pat O’Bryant, the national program’s executive director, confirmed Jerman had accepted the Wisconsin crown but refused additional comment.

“We are not getting into a he-said, she-said, situation. I think we’ve said enough,” she said. “I’m very sorry all of this is happening.”

The crown went to Jerman after first runner-up Michelle Kearney of West Allis refused to accept it.

“Who is to say who is more disabled and less disabled than another person?” Kearney told The Post-Crescent. “Had I accepted, it’s as if I had been saying I’m OK with the decision. I thought they educated and advocated about disabilities.”

Resignation in protest
The coordinator for the group’s Minnesota program, Jen Onsum, also quit her job in protest.

“I feel I must now stand up for Janeal Lee and against an organization that has discriminated against the very people they strive to advocate for,” Onsum said, according to a statement included in a link on the national program’s Web site.

[B]Lee said she didn’t think the organization’s decision was fair but would use the dispute to teach others about the range of disabilities people can have.

“Clearly, it would be better if this didn’t have to happen to spark any interest or conversation about disabilities,” Lee said.
The winners of state Ms. Wheelchair contests go on to the national competition July 19-24 in Albany, N.Y. The program — which is not a beauty pageant — is designed to spotlight the accomplishments of women who use wheelchairs. [/B]


Thanks
Annie

Thanks for the update Annie

Thanks, Annie. I heard part of this on the news but was busy and didn't catch the whole story.

Congratulations to those ladies who refused the crown and/or resigned in protest. I still say, even though I don't understand the reasoning behind the rules, the rules must be followed, like them or not. Maybe the actions by these ladies will be a start toward changing the rules to something more reasonable.

Boo

Hi All ~
Here is an update on this item. I found it on Yahoo! this morning.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

APPLETON, Wis. - The high school teacher who lost her Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin title after she was seen standing in a newspaper photo has been given a new honor — Miss disAbility International.

Janeal Lee is the charter titleholder of a new competition being launched by the Oklahoma City-based World Association of Persons With Disabilities in response to the furor over the Ms. Wheelchair dispute, said George Kerford, the group's chairman emeritus.
"We are focusing on abilities," he said Wednesday. "We want to project the images of these people who happen to be classified as disabled."

Lee, a math teacher who has progressive muscular dystrophy, won the Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin title in January. The honor was taken away several weeks later after a picture showing her standing in her classroom was published in a supplement to The Post-Crescent newspaper of Appleton.

The pageant organization said candidates for the crown have to "mostly be seen in the public" using their wheelchairs or scooters. Lee says she can walk up to 50 feet on a good day and stand while teaching but uses a scooter as her main way to get around.

The 19-year-old World Association of Persons With Disabilities had called for the title to be reinstated, saying dethroning Lee sent a bad message.

Kenford said the new titles bestowed to Lee and the group's Mr. disAbility International — Tom Mecke of San Antonio — were mostly symbolic. Future winners will go through a competition that will be open to people both mentally and physically disabled.

Lee, 30, said Wednesday she was excited about her new title, down to the lowercase 'd' and uppercase 'A.'

"It tells you the focus of the program is on people's abilities and I think that is excellent," she said.

Her first jobs as Miss disAbility International are to put together a Web site and arrange speaking engagements, she said.

Thanks for the update, Wally!