Key West The Newspaper

Heather Taylor — Ms. Wheelchair Florida 2016 — arrived in Key West this week as part of her statewide trip to highlight the myriad of thing accessible to people with wheelchairs. Community Services Administrative Assistant Stephanie Johnson and Recreational Facilities Manager Randy Sterling took her on a tour of the recently remodeled center. They were joined by City Commissioners Margaret Romero and Clayton Lopez.

Taylor, her husband Randal and their daughter Grace went swimming at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Pool and enjoyed some playtime at Nelson English Park. Tomorrow she will visit the City’s Ferry Terminal where she will embark the Yankee Freedom to explore the Dry Tortugas.

The Taylor family is on a ten-day tour of major cities across Florida in order to highlight accessibility changes for persons with disabilities and raising awareness about Dysautonomia. The Taylor family’s flight plan includes travel to major cities throughout Florida meeting with city officials to discuss improvements and highlight those areas of the city which are ADA compliant. The Dysautonomia/Disability Awareness campaign will end in the state capital — Tallahassee, Florida — on July 26th for a celebration of the ADA anniversary. Heather will provide Governor Rick Scott with the information she observed during her flight around Florida and discuss continued improvements for the state.

Gov. Scott and the Agency for Persons with Disabilities in Florida have taken great strides in the implementation of the ADA, creating initiatives and programs for persons with disabilities to receive job placement and increased services. Just ten days after meeting in Tallahassee, Heather will be traveling to Grand Rapids, Michigan to share her story and findings at the national Ms. Wheelchair America competition. Her goal during the competition is to spread national awareness, help find a cure and show others that face obstacles in their daily lives that even the skies are not a limit when you never give up!