ABBEVILLE, La. (KLFY)-- Abbeville native Justina Plowden said her life drastically changed when she lost her ability to walk after being in a car accident in October 2011; she said there were moments where she wanted to give up on life, that was until she discovered the Miss Wheelchair Pageant.

"When I came across Miss Wheelchair was back in 2014", Plowden said. "It was an advocacy event. It gave me a chance to actually speak about some of the things that I experienced being that my injury was so new and fresh."

From there, Plowden said she created the non-profit organization, We Matter, which focuses on getting policies changed to ensure that caregivers and members of the disability community get all the necessary resources they need to live a fulfilling quality of life.

"Transportation is a very very serious issue", Plowden said. "I'm gonna continue meeting with all policy makers to make sure that these things are being taken care of."

Plowden said she decided to run for Miss Wheelchair Louisiana last year. After being interviewed for months, she was selected as Miss Wheelchair in November 2023 and was crowned in January 2024.

"It's just a wonderful feeling to be able to inspire just one person even if I'm just making a change in one person's life that's all that matters", Plowden said. "With the efforts that they have been pushing for especially for members of the disability community, I feel that the time is now to be able to represent my state in such a beautiful light."

Plowden will head to Grand Rapids, Michigan in August where she will be competing to be the next Miss Wheelchair USA. Aside from the competition, Plowden said she is also in law school at South University and is scheduled to graduate in September.

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