Talk about inspiring! A beauty queen who
was born without an arm is using her title
to raise awareness of disability and
encourage youngsters to pursue their
dreams. Nicole Kelly beat off hundreds
of rivals to be crowned Miss Iowa 2014.
Ever since, the 23-year-old has been using
her success to give talks in schools about
how to overcome disability. Kelly, who
was born without a left forearm has
launched a campaign to stop children
letting their disabilities hold them back.
The university graduate says she has
never let it hold her back. Before winning
the pageant she worked on a Broadway
play in New York.
“As I grew up I learned to counterbalance
the initial stares I received from people
with an outgoing personality that would
not give in.
“This means that I tried everything, from
baseball, to dance, to diving – there is
nothing I would not try.
“I found my passion within a world where
I was giving people permission to stare –
the stage.”
She has launched a campaign called The
Power of One to encourage people to
embrace their differences, and meets
parents of children with disabilities.
Meeting the parents of amputee and
physically differently-abled children has
been a shocking experience at times.
“I had assumed everyone else’s parents
would be like mine, but many are far
more concerned about limiting their
child’s life to protect them from harm.”
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