One of the friends I have made since moving to the mountains in North Carolina is Wanda Mills. I met her a little over a year ago when I was ask if I might be able to provide some web support to a project she and some friends were putting together. The project involved starting a small business for her. The purpose of the business was to read her prose, poetry and do public speaking.
Not knowing Wanda your first question might be in the area of what makes her work different from others who do the same thing, and that would be a fair question. In many ways there is no difference. She is bright. She is witty. She is funny. She tells a good story.
And, that’s the point.
What makes Wanda so unique is the experience her writing and speaking is built upon. You see, Wanda was born with a pretty severe case of cerebral palsy. She was born prior to the Americans with Disabilities Act. She did not have access to a public education but with the help and support of her family she managed to graduate from high school. She was the first person with disabilities to attend and graduate from the local community college.
She has a lifetime of struggles, setbacks, disappointments and successes and these are the foundation of her message. She is an advocate for individuals with disabilities and wants to share her messages with individuals, parents, teachers and community leaders. What makes this so impressive is the fact that at she is totally reliant on a wheelchair and works very hard on her speech.
Things are moving forward with the business. She has a webpage and has put together her first chapbook. She reads at local poet and prose readings. She speaks to local agencies. But, all of these are difficult to attend and she is extremely limited because of transportation. She misses many opportunities due to the fact that she cannot get there.
She has a van which is wheelchair accessible but it is in need of repair. The parts and labor (the labor is at a discount) is $3000.00 to get it up and running again. With the van running a world of possibilities will open.
So, if you are able to assist:
Thank you!