Every August, women from across the country gather for Ms. Wheelchair America, an organization dedicated to “Empowering Women of Achievement Through Leadership, Advocacy & Education.” The national competition brings together women who have held a state title for a week of leadership training, advocacy workshops, mentoring events and judging sessions, and for a sisterhood that lasts long after the week ends.
Ms. Wheelchair America 2027 came to the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan, August 17–23, 2026, and this was Hopelynd’s second year photographing the week. We were there for Re-Sashing Night, Speech Night and the Crowning Ceremony, and midweek we hosted a Walk and Roll with the ladies through downtown Grand Rapids.
Re-Sashing Night
Re-Sashing Night celebrated every state titleholder, each woman sashed in front of a room full of cheering family, friends and fellow delegates.
Speech Night
On Speech Night, the delegates took the stage one by one to share their stories and the platforms they advocate for back home. Display boards around the ballroom showed the work each woman has been doing in her state.
Walk and Roll with Hopelynd
Midweek, Hopelynd hosted a Walk and Roll with the delegates through downtown Grand Rapids: along the Grand River, across the pedestrian bridges, and past the plazas and murals that make our city home. It was a chance to slow down, enjoy the city together and notice what accessibility looks like on the ground.
Hopelynd photographers put cameras in the ladies’ hands, and each delegate photographed the city from her own point of view.
The Crowning Ceremony
Crowning night started with hair, makeup and a crown waiting on the table.
When the moment came, Jamie Clendening, Ms. Wheelchair Pennsylvania, was crowned Ms. Wheelchair America 2027. Jamie, a Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, native, used her journey with spina bifida and paralysis to inform her platform: health care access and equity for everybody. She is a Reeve Foundation regional champion advocate and peer mentor, and the founder of I Can, and I Wheel.
Her husband and daughter were in tears when her name was announced. In her acceptance speech, Jamie thanked her family and Ms. Wheelchair Pennsylvania, then spoke directly to the disability community.
As Jamie put it: “I honestly believe that we’re lacking the proper health care that we need… proper exam tables, wheelchair-accessible scales. These things literally were the difference between life and death for me.”
Meet the Ms. Wheelchair America 2027 Delegates
Congratulations to every woman who represented her state this year, and to Latavia Sturdivant, Ms. Wheelchair America 2026, and Little Ms. Wheelchair America Dahlia Swanson.
Thank You
Thank you to Ms. Wheelchair America for welcoming Hopelynd back for a second year, and to every delegate, family member and volunteer who made the week what it was. Thank you to Michelle Kristine Photos and Crystal Poole Photography, who photographed the delegate portraits for Hopelynd, with Michelle also covering the Crowning Ceremony. Thank you as well to Bryan Esler Photo and Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. for capturing our Walk and Roll.
Hopelynd photographs people of all abilities, and we plan every session around accessibility. If you’re a wheelchair or powerchair user looking for a photographer who will meet you where you are, we’d love to hear from you.
