Deborah Barnes of Washington, DC is crowned the 2008 Ms. Wheelchair District of Columbia.  She accepted the crown from her predecessor, Katrina Porter, Sunday evening during an elegant gala at The HSC Pediatric Center. As Ms. Wheelchair DC, Deborah will work to raise public awareness throughout the District of Columbia about the abilities of persons with disabilities. She will also serve as a role model to empower people with disabilities. As a spokesperson, she will appear before schools, businesses, civic groups and religious organizations and speak about disability issues, such as individual rights and accommodations. Deborah plans to advocate for making DC public schools fully accessible for students, as well as parents with disabilities.

The selection process included participation in empowerment seminars, the delivery of a platform speech and judged interviews. As Ms. Wheelchair DC, Deborah will travel to Rockville, Maryland July 21st through July 27th to compete in the Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant.

The Ms. Wheelchair District of Columbia organization does NOT emphasize physical beauty.  It is a sisterhood of dynamic women who are dedicated to promoting disability awareness, education, and empowerment.  Each year the Ms. Wheelchair District of Columbia organization selects a spokesperson to speak to the general public about her life as a person with a disability, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and a platform issue of her choosing.  Moreover, Ms. Wheelchair District of Columbia competes nationally with other state titleholders in the annual Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant.