'Absolutely amazing'

Johnston's Cabrita returns from Ms. Wheelchair with lasting memories, new friends

By JACOB MARROCO
Posted 7/18/19

By JACOB MARROCCO Johnston's Ashley Cabrita left Rhode Island and came home with 22 new best friends and lessons that will last her a lifetime. Cabrita - who hold the title of Ms. Wheelchair Rhode Island - took part in the 48th Annual Ms. Wheelchair

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'Absolutely amazing'

Johnston's Cabrita returns from Ms. Wheelchair with lasting memories, new friends

Posted

Johnston’s Ashley Cabrita left Rhode Island and came home with 22 new best friends – and lessons that will last her a lifetime.

Earlier this month, Cabrita – who hold the title of Ms. Wheelchair Rhode Island – took part in the 48th annual Ms. Wheelchair America National Competition in Little Rock Arkansas, alongside several other competitors representing their respective states. However, she said the six-day adventure didn’t feel much like a competition.

“It was absolutely amazing,” Cabrita said during a phone interview. “Just to meet these other women and to hear each other’s platforms and our stories – it truly made everyone feel so connected, and many of us are saying we wish we still had that week. We felt like we fit in. We didn’t feel like anyone was staring. It was really welcoming.”

Cabrita drove down to Arkansas, and she enjoyed plenty of stops along the way. She and her travel crew stopped in Cleveland to see the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame before traveling to Nashville to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Then, there were the sights and delights of Arkansas. She said there was quite a bit of fried food, notably the catfish for which Arkansas is widely known. She took in the state’s history as well, making a trip with fellow contestants to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum and the old Arkansas State House.

“The competition didn’t feel like a competition, which is weird, because we all had this competition we were going into, but the workshops throughout the week were helpful for visibility and we learned new things, and that was absolutely amazing for many of us,” Cabrita said.

Those workshops included a presentation from Mobility Works, providing information on traveling with wheelchairs and how they should be handled. Cabrita said she plans to integrate what she learned from ABLEnow into her advocacy work as well. ABLEnow helps those with disabilities save money while collecting benefits.

Then there was speech night, where camaraderie between contestants was on full display. Cabrita said she and her fellow representatives read platform speeches to judges in reverse alphabetical order, so she was between Ms. South Carolina and Ms. New Mexico. There were nerves, but Cabrita and her friends were encouraging one another as the night went on.

“We were just telling each other to stay calm, and we got this, and Ms. New Mexico was to my other side and she was very nervous,” Cabrita said. “I liked being in the beginning because I was able to watch more of the speeches as they went on. All of the girls were so proud … I believe the judges had such a hard time choosing.”

There was a moment of clarity, too, when the speeches drew to a close.

“We’re all proud of each other, when it was finished it was just, ‘Wow, we just put our hearts out there and when we all go home, we have something that we believe in and something where we will put in all our effort until the day we die,” Cabrita said.

While Cabrita didn’t win the competition in a traditional sense, she came home with plenty of victories. She made scores of new friends, and they have been texting each other since they came home. She even pointed out that Ms. Texas, Lauren Taylor, found comfort in the fact she made a friend with the same disability – spinal muscular atrophy – as herself and Cabrita.

“I learned that you’re not along when you have certain feelings about your disability and there are other individuals who you now create friendships with and your able to go to and they truly do understand,” Cabrita said. “[Ms. Texas] was excited that we’re able to stay in contact and a lot of us are making plans to visit each other.”

Now that she’s home, Cabrita will continue her advocacy in the community and spread the lessons she learned throughout an eventful week in Arkansas. And if she’s ever in a bind, she’s got 22 new friends willing to help her out.

“That’s what I’ve been saying this whole time, is the best thing I gained out of this was my new friends … If I’m traveling, I have someone to count on in another state,” she said.

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