Nicole talks with Brooke about her journey, from being part of a very small community to winning the title of Miss Iowa and taking part in the Miss America Pageant along with the transition from being a disabled child to a disabled adult and how the attention changes.
They discuss the importance of community and body autonomy and why Niccole is proud to be disabled
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Every day, in my job, I’m thinking about, talking about and serving the amputee community, it’s my every day
It was crazy when I won because up until that point the messaging for me was that I wasn’t any different
I competed alongside all the other girls for Miss America and felt like I won fair and square but the focus was on how inspiring it was
Inherently me stepping on that stage was a really big thing and I was used as a marketing tool and treated differently
I didn’t have a community surrounding me who could help me to make sense of it
My life shifted drastically with the experience and it was full on as an experience the saving grace in all of it was the community
Socially structures have been built to keep us out and it’s a lot of work to break those barriers
I wish I’d been taught earlier about body autonomy and how to reach a point of peace with your body
I understand that when people first interact with me I am representing everyone on my community
BEST MOMENTS
‘I went from winning one night to being world news the next day and that really freaked me out’
‘Let’s change the narrative, it doesn’t have to be pity narrative or a superhuman narrative or overcoming I’m living in my disabled body every day and doing things’
‘My disability isn’t my only attribute’
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Disabled & Proud Podcast
ABOUT THE HOST
Disabled and Proud is the show that brings listeners a different perspective on disability. Each week this podcast highlights an awesome disabled guest speaking about their own disability; why they are proud to be disabled and why they are proud to be themselves.
The conversations in this show will look at what challenges these amazing people face socially, mentally, physically and life in general. This show is raw, open, honest, funny, welcoming and educational.
Disabled & Proud does exactly what it says on the tin! And whilst we are creating this space for disabled people to be unashamedly themselves, without the need to conform to society, this is also not about toxic positivity. This show will be shining a big, bright light on disability without it being “Paralympic or pity”.
As you will hear disability is WHOLE, COMPLETE & PERFECT and whilst the topic of disability can be quite heavy - and we definitely don't shy away from the bad days - this podcast is also about having fun too! Our aim is to play a part in reclaiming the word disability - turning it from inadequacy to perfection!
INSTAGRAM! https://www.instagram.com/disabledandproudpodcast/?hl=en: https://www.instagram.com/disabledandproudpodcast/?hl=en
