Raleigh native wins Ms. Wheelchair America pageant

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — A Raleigh native, Ms. Wheelchair North Carolina, was crowned as Ms. Wheelchair America on Saturday night.

Ali Ingersoll represented North Carolina in a weeklong event in Michigan, along with 21 other contestants from across the country.

Ingersoll broke her neck in 2010 while diving in the Bahamas, where she lived most of her life. Ingersoll is paralyzed from the chest down and has little strength in her hands.

Ingersoll hasn’t let her accident stop her. She’s a day trader who assists people in navigating insurance appeals and advocating for themselves.

Ingersoll helps others by normalizing how she navigates her life and that of those who live with disabilities. She spreads the word on social media and her website under the name “Quirky Quad.”

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Ali Ingersoll of Raleigh North Carolina

“It’s a humbling experience...gratitude and just such comradery with women. I know that I won, but it’s about the women around me and the work we’re going to be doing together,” Ingersoll said.

Ingersoll said she is looking forward to seeing how all the women work together for their shared mission to increase inclusion.

“Disability doesn’t discriminate,” Ingersoll said. “Any one of us could join this club for any reason. It is imperative that we all pay attention in our society to the issues facing us in the disability community.”

Ms. Wheelchair South Carolina was also in the top five.

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