Windber woman is crowned Ms. Wheelchair Pennsylvania

March 07--The newest Ms. Wheelchair Pennsylvania, a Windber woman who was permanently paralyzed from the waist down in a car crash a decade ago, said on Tuesday that she hopes to use her new title's prestige to advocate for the rights of disabled people.

Barb Zablotney won the 2018 Ms. Wheelchair Pennsylvania pageant on Saturday after a panel of judges decided that she could be, in pageant organizers' words, "the most accomplished and articulate spokeswoman for people with disabilities throughout the state."

The 2004 Windber High School graduate now has the chance to compete in the Ms. Wheelchair America pageant in Grand Rapids, Michigan, from July 30 to Aug. 5.

For now, though, Zablotney has more immediate concerns. She's focusing on warning people about the dangers of H.R. 620, an amendment to the Americans with Disabilities Act that passed through the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 15.

A disabled person who is unable to access a business that's out of compliance with the ADA -- because the doorway is too narrow to allow a wheelchair to pass, for example -- can currently file a lawsuit to get the business to remove barriers to access. H.R. 620 would change that.

"As of now," Zablotney said, "if a place built after 1900 or so isn't complying with the ADA, you can file a lawsuit, and that's an incentive for a business to comply with the act. ... But with the wording in this new bill, which is going to the Senate to be voted on, it says that as long as the business is making significant progress (toward ADA compliance), they can't be sued."

H.R. 620 would require a disabled person to file "written, technical notice" of the alleged ADA violation, wait 60 days for a response, then wait 120 more days to see if "substantial progress" is made on fixing the violation before the issue can be brought to court, according to NBC News columnist Sara Novic.

The American Civil Liberties Union argues that H.R. 620 "removes any incentive for businesses to comply proactively with the ADA" by preventing people with disabilities from immediately going to court to enforce their rights.

"It will affect our civil rights if we can't get into businesses or establishments if they don't want us to," Zablotney said.

"I want to go out and let people know that this is going on. ... The general public should know that this is a threat to them, too. You're walking now, but tomorrow you might not be, and then your rights will be threatened because of this bill."

Zablotney said that she also hopes to educate people about what it's really like to live with a disability.

When she was profiled in The Tribune-Democrat's "In the Spotlight" feature in January, she said that many people seem not to understand what paralysis really is. She's been told on multiple occasions that she's "just not trying hard enough to stand," she said.

Often, people make rude comments or express annoyance at how much space her wheelchair occupies, she added.

She also plans to continue speaking at area schools about safe driving and disability awareness, posting wheelchair workout videos on her YouTube channel and discussing disability awareness on her Facebook page, www.facebook.com/RollingRainbow.

Mark Pesto is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter at @MarkPesto.

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