Ms Wheelchair America 2009 First Runner Up and Ms Wheelchair California 2008

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

April 23rd, Sacramento State University

This week is Disability Awareness Week at Sac State University. The theme this year is "Recreation without Barriers." I was fortunate to meet with considerable interest in disability rights and advocacy amongst the crowd.

I was able to share in an interview with a school newspaper about the advocacy work Ms. Wheelchair California does in the state.

Paralympic silver-medal hand-cycle champion Alejandro Albor.

Friday, April 18, 2008

April 17th, Disability Awareness Day at Sacramento City College

Top left: Supported Life Institute
Self-Advocacy Coordination Project
is seeking advisors. If you are interested, please contact Ed Plan at edplon@supportedlife.org or visit http://www.supportedlife.org/

April 16th, Alzheimer's Association Rally

Hundreds of supporters came to the steps of the Capitol in Sacramento on April 16th to stop budget cuts on in-home support services for those affected by Alzheimer's and people with disabilities.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

April 12th, Fundraiser Events for India

In May, I will be going with Joni and Friends Wheels for the World program to distribute 200 wheelchairs to people with disabilities in Ongole, India. For the last few months, I’ve been fundraising money to go on the trip. On the top left, whenever we have time, Tad and I spend our Saturday mornings at the Davis Farmer’s Market asking for donations for his sculptures. Tad makes all the sculptures with only his hands and has used his art to contribute to this life-changing cause. Come see him bend sculptures and help support a great cause! We will be at the Whole Earth Festival from May 9-11th at UC Davis.

Below and on the right, my friend Lonna kindly opened up her home for a dinner fundraiser. With the help of some friends, she made delicious Indian food. I met many amazing souls that night. Although we came from different backgrounds, we all had a heart for India. Many of them gave me great insights and financial support. I would like to thank all of them for their generosity!

March 28th, Dinner in Morgan Hill

Dinner in Morgan Hill with Ruthee Goldkorn, Executive Director of Ms Wheelchair California, Nina, Bob and Maureen Hunt, who are organizing the July 4th Gilroy Parade. We had a fun time getting to know each other. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Bob and Maureen for their generosity in inviting Ruthee and me to be in the parade. We hope you can join us there on the Fourth of July! For more information, please visit www.mhparade.com.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

March 22nd, California for Disability Rights, Yolano (Yolo/Solano) Chapter

This group of professionals with disabilities promotes local policy which includes the voice of the disability community. Currently, one of the issues the group is working on is accessible housing.

Monday, March 24, 2008

March 21st, Access Leisure Teen Program

The Access Leisure Teen Program is an after school recreation and social program for youth with disabilities. We had a fun afternoon playing freeze tag - what a great group!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

March 8th, Ms Wheelchair California 2008 Pageant

At the 2008 pageant with Susan Rotchy, Ms Wheelchair California 2007, and Camisha Grandberry, 1st Runner-up, and another great advocate who will be doing lots of great advocacy work in Southern California this year under her title.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Greetings

Hello and welcome to my blog! It is an honor to have been crowned Ms Wheelchair California 2008. I'm excited to be able to represent the disability community in California in this special capacity. I look forward to continuing my advocacy work around the state this year - please let me know if you would like to book a speaking engagement or if you know of a visiting opportunity through which I can help make a difference. Thank you for visiting my blog - come back often to see what's new.

Bio

Shannon Coe, Ms Wheelchair California 2008 and First Runner Up for Ms Wheelchair America 2009, lives in Davis, California. Shannon was born in a devastated post-war Vietnam and had polio at the age of 18 months as a result of a broken immunization infrastructure. Fleeing the political aftermath of the war, Shannon’s parents lovingly carried her as a four-year-old child on the dangerous journey from refugee camp to refugee camp until they were sponsored by a church to immigrate to the United States.

In the U.S. Shannon received her first wheelchair and grew up to appreciate international affairs and advocacy for disability rights. In 2000, she received a BA from U.C. Berkeley in Mass Communications. Shannon also studied abroad in England where she was successful in having a Member of Parliament spend a day following her around campus in a wheelchair to understand the barriers that confronted students with disabilities. Shannon continued to advocate for disability rights issues in the U.S. where she interned with the ADA section of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington D.C. and the City of Berkeley.

After graduation, Shannon was selected to attend the Beijing +5 UN Declaration and Platform for Action conference to evaluate the progress of women with disabilities under the UN Convention and the National Youth Leadership Network (NYLN). She contributed as a writer to the NYLN Quarterly Newsletter which addressed issues concerning youth with disabilities and the New Mobility magazine. Shannon later worked as an Acting Program Coordinator for the Fulfillment Fund Teen Access Program, a non-profit organization that provides mentors and educational resources for students with disabilities. She has also been a mentor for young women with disabilities for the Youth Empowerment Project, and a trainer for Mobility International USA. In 2009, Shannon worked as a consultant with Handicap International in Takoma Park, Maryland.

From 2004-2006, Shannon served in Paraguay as a Peace Corps Volunteer, working with non-profit and non-governmental organizations and the Paraguayan government on projects to improve basic disability rights for Paraguayans with disabilities. Shannon has also raised sufficient funds to travel to developing nations with Joni and Friends (a nonprofit organization) to distribute hundreds of wheelchairs at a time to some of the world’s poorest people with disabilities.

Shannon graduated in May 2010 with a Master degree in Public Administration at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) where she has been awarded several merit scholarships. Shannon focuses on civil rights for people with disabilities both nationally and internationally. Her personal and professional passions have taken her to 45 countries and led her to volunteer with many disability-focused organizations.

In addition to traveling, Shannon enjoys the great outdoors. She has been involved in outdoor adventures with organizations such as Environmental Traveling Companion, Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program, No Barriers USA, and Casa Colina. She has participated in adaptive sporting activities such as kayaking, handcycling, mountain biking, rope climbing, water skiing, jet skiing, snorkeling, and white water rafting. Shannon has also volunteered for Special Olympics and Casa Colina in sport events and summer camps for children with disabilities.