Record turnout at October 18 Candidates Forum Hosted By North Los Angeles County Regional Center

 

Approximately 250 people attended the  forum held on and October 18th in North Hills! We have hosted

	SFV Candidates Forum held at New Horizons on October 18th.

forums in the past, and these were definitely the most well attended. Thank you to all of the candidates for their participation, to the service providers and community agencies that co-sponsored the event and to everyone who took the time to attend the forums. Now that you have had an opportunity to get to know the candidates, we hope that you will let your vote be your voice on November 8th to select the candidate that you feel will best represent what’s most important to you and your loved ones.

A few more photos from the Candidates Forums…

Candidates table at SFV Forum held on Oct. 18th at New Horizons. Photo by Christopher J. Boghosian.

 

 

Those Affected By Disabilities Front Row At LA Fashion Week Thanks Bezgraniz Couture

When I wheeled into the Hollywood Athletic Club I was greeted by a man who said , “Welcome We’ve been waiting for you we are glad you are here”as he escorted me to my front row seat at Bezgraniz Couture LA Fashion Week. All the models were either amputees, used walkers, had Down’s Syndrome or wheelchairs.

It was an honor to be sitting next you Ellen Stohl and Tatianna Lee! That was the kind of fashion show I always dreamed of where people affected by disabilities were the stars of the show not excluded from the show as was the case when I was a kid in the 1970s.

Special thanks to Bezgraniz Couture for inviting the models who auditioned but did not make the cut, like myself, to the fashion show as your honored guests, Marisa Hamamoto for teaching me that even dancers/ models using  a power wheelchair can follow choreography and Landra Dulin LAFW for encouraging me to audition again next year.

POWER WHEELCHAIR MODELS: RAW BEAUTY PROJECT LA 2016

hillarymarides.com

“Thank you for your love, prayers, and support. It was a blessing seeing you at the Raw Beauty Project LA event!” Margarita Elizondo power wheelchair model

— with Hillary Marides.

As some of you may know  my mother, Hillary Stevens, was  a Carole Nash model in Boston in the 197o’s. In her day wheelchair models were unheard of. I did one modeling shoot with mom as kid for a friend of my mother’s who was opening a photograpy studio in Lynn. He thought my photos were cute. so he featured them in the front window of his studio. During the photo shoot mom either picked me up or sat me in a regular chair.

Last Weekend I attended Raw Beauty Project LA 2016. All the models were wheelchair users! Thank God modeling has come along way since I was a kid. On August 2, 2016 I auditioned for LA Fashion…

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The Raw Beauty Project

 

September 17, 2016 Margarita Elizondo invited me to attend the raw beauty project at the Paul Mitchell the school Pasadena

 

Americans with Disabilities could Rock The Vote

 

Americans affected by disabilities can change the outcome of this year’s presidential election if they all voted November 8, 2016.That’s what I learned at the Get Out the vote conference last week in Pasadena . Elections can  be won or lost by a thousand votes. If folks affected by disabilities who are not yet registered to vote  registered to vote and voted on election day it could affect who the next president is .

Regardless of party people affected by disabilities care about issues like accessible.affordable housing, accessible,affordable health care, employment and affordable accessible transportation. 50 million Americans live with disabilities. I think the candidates should listen to what we have to say because we vote.

Nation Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day

March 25 is National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day. To me a person born and living with  Cerebral Palsy Every day is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day! 🙂

My Reign Is Over But My Disability Advocacy Continues

Yesterday at church a woman walked up to me I had not seen in long time.. She said, ” You are  Ms.Wheelchair California  aren’t  you?

“I was last year” I replied. They crowned a new one in January.”

There I was at church  minding my own business wearing my usual church clothes (not my Ms Wheelchair California 2015 sash and tiara) yet still being recognized as Ms Wheelchair California 2015 It seemed strange until Ms Wheelchair California 2013 Margarita Elizondo’s words came to mind, ” Your reign may have been short , but Ms Wheelchair California 2015 is a title you’ll have for the rest of your life.

As my friend and mentor Joni Eareckson Tada wrote in her blog,” Hillary’s reign as Ms Wheelchair California has come to an end, but her disability advocacy continues.”

This week I have another LA Care CCI Council meeting and the Statewide Disability Conference.

MyFarewellSpeech

My Last Blog post Of 2015

Reflecting back on 2015 I could never have imagined I’d be given  the title Ms Wheelchair California 2015. When the Ms Wheelchair California 2015 Pageant ended on February 27 . My friend Dr Alette  Coble Temple was crowned Ms Wheelchair California 2015 and was given a first runner up sash for the second year in row as well as a community award by the judges. I thought entering the pageant twice was enough. I’m never going to be Ms Wheelchair California. My best friend Jackie whispered ” Just wait I don’t know what, but I have a feeling something is going to happen.”

On August 1 Dr. Alette Coble Temple was crowned Ms Wheelchair America 2016! On August 20 I was crown Ms Wheelchair California 2015! Whether I was First Runner up 2014, 2015 or Ms Wheelchair California 2015, It has been a great 2 years advocating for health care for those affected by disabilities and working with and learning from other disabilities advocates.  When a new Ms Wheelchair California is crowned January 16, 2016, my reign will end, but  my disability advocacy won’t stop. Advocacy isn’t about me it’s about helping others.

Equal Access to Health Care Starts with Equal access to Exam Tables

I had many doctors appointments scheduled in the month of November. Like my mother before me . My birthday present to myself is check to make sure I’m healthy. so I got a mammogram, went to the gynecologist  and got a test. As of today I’m happy to say all my test came back normal.

What was not normal was the doctor’s exam table was so high my PCA’s back got thrown out getting me up on the exam table! This is one of the reasons my friends who use wheelchairs have a hard time getting examined properly: They cannot even get on the exam table. What caregiver is going to take her for a follow up visit if he/she hurt her back during the first visit?

Equal access to health care means equal access to exam tables and wheelchair scales rather than regular scales  in doctor’s  offices and hospitals.