Miss Wheelchair America 2005 spoke to the AU community on Monday about overcoming her disabilities to become an advocate for others. Juliette Rizzo spoke as a part of Pi Kappa Phi Push America campaign to raise awareness and help people with disabilities.
"Push week is about pushing down negative attitudes [about people with disabilities]," she said. Rizzo said it is important to push people with disabilities to the forefront so that they can become independent.
"You help us love ourselves," Rizzo said.
Rizzo is confined to a wheelchair because of the effects of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and scleroderma, which cause burning pain, degeneration of cartilage in the bones and problems with the immune system.
Rizzo said she lacked confidence as a young girl because she thought she was ugly and could not move very well.
"I used to hide myself," she said. "I hated my body."
Rizzo said there are three things she would like to do, but will never be able to: tie her own shoes, fix her hair and ride a bike. However, Rizzo said she enjoys swimming and sailing.
As a college student, Rizzo had trouble choosing a major because others told her that various professions were impossible due to her inability to move her hands properly. Despite this difficulty, Rizzo became a journalist and now works for the Department of Education.
"Look at me today. ... I'm a woman who believes in myself," she said.
Rizzo helped plan the Ms. Wheelchair Texas pageant before entering the Maryland competition. She described the contest as an empowerment program for women.
"I had no choice but to get into pageantry," she said, because many people believed in her. Ms. Wheelchair America is an achievement contest, not a beauty pageant, Rizzo said. Contestants are judged on what they have done for people with disabilities and how well they represent people with disabilities. Rizzo's platform speech for the contest was "Illuminating opportunities for people with disabilities."
Rizzo said that college students need to reach out to people with disabilities. "There are a lot of people who don't think we have any value," she said.
When there was an emergency evacuation from the Metro recently, Rizzo said that a man held her back to let other people get off first. In another incident, a woman tried to push her off the train because she was blocking the door.
"People with disabilities have a voice, but you need to carry their messages," Rizzo said.
She cited an incident when she visited a young man who couldn't speak. He kept banging his Snapple bottle and the doctors couldn't figure out why. Eventually someone realized that he wanted to offer Rizzo a drink and have a toast with her. His message was finally understood because someone tried to listen to him.
Pi Kappa Phi sponsors many events each year to promote the causes of people with disabilities. Members of the fraternity bicycle across the United States to raise money and work on construction projects to make camps, public places and private homes accessible to people in wheelchairs. Having access to the community is very important to people with disabilities, according to Rizzo.
Push week is important because its focus is to build awareness said Dan Hawkins, a member of Pi Kappa Phi.
"Even if only one person is affected, we've achieved our goal. ... That's how we all feel," said fraternity member Pasquale Intindola.
Other Push Week events include an information session on Push America today from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Battelle Atrium and the winner of the Rose of AU competition will be announced
Friday.
