Beyond the Crown: Miss Wheelchair Louisiana’s Voice for Inclusion and Access with Justina Plowden

In this episode of This Ability Podcast, we sit down with Justina Plowden, Miss Wheelchair Louisiana and founder of We Matter, a support and advocacy group for individuals with disabilities across the Acadiana region. Justina shares her journey as a powerful advocate for accessibility, inclusion, and representation. From her experience competing in the Miss Wheelchair America pageant to leading regional conversations around disability rights, Justina speaks candidly about the challenges she’s faced, the community she’s built, and her mission to uplift others through visibility and action.

Through We Matter, Justina works to unite individuals across all parishes in Louisiana, focusing on advocacy, peer support, education, and outreach. In this conversation, she reflects on the importance of community empowerment, her commitment to changing perceptions, and how her lived experience fuels her work. Whether you're a caregiver, advocate, or part of the disability community, Justina’s voice is a meaningful reminder that everyone deserves to be seen, heard, and valued. Tune in for a story of strength, leadership, and the power of representation.

Transcript

Mary Baudoin (00:09):

Thank you for joining us today for this episode of This Ability Podcast. I'm your host, Mary Baudoin, and joining us today is Justina Plowden, an advocate for disability rights and community empowerment. Thank you so much for joining us today, Justina. We appreciate you being here.

Justina Plowden (00:25):

No, thank you.

Mary Baudoin (00:27):

Tell our audience a little bit about yourself, where you're from, your family, things like that.

Justina Plowden (00:32):

I am from a small town. I'm from Abbeville, Louisiana. I live with my mom at the moment, and my daughter. And I try my hardest to share any resources or any type of information to people of community that are interested in finding ways that they can help make their quality of life better. So that's kind of what I do. The organization and they'll share their resources to the community and I pass around to other members, if they can't make it to the meeting. And I'll have them available for anyone who needs them, too.

Mary Baudoin (01:09):

That's awesome. And I recently saw on Facebook, I didn't have this in my outline but I think you joined [inaudible 00:01:15].

Justina Plowden (01:13):

I did.

Mary Baudoin (01:15):

They do wonderful things there.

Justina Plowden (01:17):

Yeah. You have no idea. I've been there a month and a half. Oh, the environment is so welcoming and so... The spirit in it, it's so amazing. We've been working on building my upper strength and it is... We work really, really hard-

Mary Baudoin (01:33):

You can feel the difference.

Justina Plowden (01:35):

Yeah. I can feel [inaudible 00:01:35] difference. Yeah.

Mary Baudoin (01:36):

That's great. That's-

Justina Plowden (01:36):

And it helps with your mentality. I keep a positive mindset, and exercising is something I love to do so it's just all coming into one and it's coming out great.

Mary Baudoin (01:46):

Great. I'm happy to hear that. So I wanted to start with your personal journey and ask you about the accident that pretty much changed your life. So tell me about that. What happened? How old were you?

Justina Plowden (02:00):

I was 23 when my car accident happened. I was coming from work, and I just made it back into Louisiana, I was going from Texas. And was talking with some of my family members and I decided to go to the mall. So I grabbed my daughter and one of my closest friends. And what we did, we got on the highway, we were listening to music, it was the most beautiful day, sun was shining so bright, the sky was just beautifully off-white. The wind, we had the wind blowing. It was just-

Mary Baudoin (02:25):

Sounds like a perfect day.

Justina Plowden (02:29):

It was a perfect day. It really was. And then, the next thing you know, someone [inaudible 00:02:30] and then we ran into another car and we ended up in the ditch. All of us. So everyone that was in the vehicle, we're all in wheelchairs, including my daughter. I had to be airlifted over to Lafayette, to [inaudible 00:02:42] and I was in ICU over there for about three months and a half.

Mary Baudoin (02:48):

Wow.

Justina Plowden (02:48):

It was a lot. It was a lot to take in, all at once. I think the moment that I realized that I was paralyzed is when I went to go and reach for something in my purse and my arms weren't reaching and I kept on... Why aren't my arms moving? That's when I realized, that's when it hit me, okay, so this is real. And so it just... Me having that in my head and then I'm thinking about, how am I going to be able to work? How am I going to be able to take care of my daughter? And that's like, you don't know, it may come back, they always tell you you get more of comeback within the first two years of your injury. So with them saying that, that gave me hope as in to be more aggressive whenever I got into the therapy room. So I kind of went all-out and did everything my therapist told me to do. I did regain movement in my arms, because nothing was moving in my body. I was able to start picking it up and moving it. I had slight movement in my fingers and slight movement in my legs. So I just hoped and hoped that something was going to change. And [inaudible 00:03:53] a lot of great outcomes in certain situations we were doing therapy, like I started to completely do 80% of my transfers by myself.

Mary Baudoin (04:03):

Oh, wow.

Justina Plowden (04:03):

Yeah, I got stronger and I was learning to redress myself, feed myself, do all of that myself. It gave me... So motivated. It gave me a chance [inaudible 00:04:14] positive. [inaudible 00:04:14] think about, because when you're in your injury so young and when it's new in the beginning, there's so much stuff that you're going through. So having my family member there and having people who care, listen, and understanding, keep me in that light, so that same stage, I don't lose it.

Mary Baudoin (04:33):

So your family was very supportive, helping you get through therapy and helping you with your mental state as well?

Justina Plowden (04:39):

Yeah. They had some community members raise money to help my family get back and forth to New Orleans to check on me to make sure that I was okay and make sure I had everything that I needed. Just, it was hard work, but having them there, made me push harder and [inaudible 00:04:55] so down to earth, we would have conversations, still laugh and joke. They didn't treat me [inaudible 00:05:01].

Mary Baudoin (05:02):

Yeah, it's good to laugh and try to have a sense of humor about things.

Justina Plowden (05:06):

Yeah.

Mary Baudoin (05:06):

What were you diagnosed with?

Justina Plowden (05:08):

[inaudible 00:05:09] had a head injury whenever I was knocked out, because I had to be airlifted to [inaudible 00:05:14]. I broke my C5, C6 vertebrae and my injury is labeled as C5, C6 incomplete quadriplegia.

Mary Baudoin (05:22):

Thank you for talking to us about that. That happened when you were 23. So how many years has it been since your accident?

Justina Plowden (05:29):

It's been 14 years.

Mary Baudoin (05:30):

14 years. Yeah. And so you've had, I'm sure, some ups and downs in that time.

Justina Plowden (05:36):

Yeah, yeah.

Mary Baudoin (05:37):

Yeah, yeah. Well, one up I can think of is you've been competing in pageants.

Justina Plowden (05:40):

Yeah.

Mary Baudoin (05:41):

Right. So tell me about your experience with...

Justina Plowden (05:43):

Okay. Before my accident, in high school and when I was younger, my mom would put me in pageants and it was something that I really, really enjoyed doing. It was always good to prepare for things like a pageant because it sets you up for what you'll be facing in different lives. So it's not always all beauty and... They're very goal-oriented, they want kids to do better, they want you to have the best type of life. [inaudible 00:06:05] scholarship, pageants, I would go all out. I would go and I would audition for certain things. I would try and... I hosted a pageant, one time. I started a pageant for younger girls, because they hadn't had any that year, so I was like, we're doing it. So me and a couple of my family members, we got together and we do one and it was really successful, but I was really young, I had to go back to college [inaudible 00:06:26].

(06:24):

The next year [inaudible 00:06:27] but they did amazing, all of those girls, and the ones who won, they're doing great today, really proud of that. But the Miss Wheelchair Louisiana Pageant was very, very wonderful. It's a great advocacy program. You learn how to advocate for yourself in certain situations and we bring up different issues that's affecting members of the disability community and we shed light on it and it's like a sisterhood. We keep in contact, we talk daily. Some of us even meet up and go places.

Mary Baudoin (06:58):

Well, one thing about pageants that I noticed is that it does seem to give all of the contestants the sense of confidence, especially in order to speak.

Justina Plowden (07:06):

Right. It really does. It really does. Because it's like you never know what you're capable of until you actually do it.

Mary Baudoin (07:13):

Right. And so after the Miss Louisiana Pageant, then you went...

Justina Plowden (07:17):

To compete against all other states in Miss Wheelchair.

Mary Baudoin (07:22):

What was that like, for you to see all the other contestants there?

Justina Plowden (07:25):

It was fun. It was amazing. It was really long days. We would be in groups and we would be learning different things about advocacy. We'd have lessons, someone would come in and teach us something new. All closer together. We had fun, we had game nights.

Mary Baudoin (07:38):

Do you have any words of wisdom for the new or upcoming Miss Wheelchair Louisiana?

Justina Plowden (07:44):

I want her to be as knowledgeable [inaudible 00:07:47]. She asked me if she could run with the platform for transportation and I'm like, yes, that's an issue that still needs to be spoken of, and people need to hear that. So I'll be there helping her every step of the way, mentoring her on what to say and how she can kind meet with some leaders. I'll be helping her out, most of the time.

Mary Baudoin (08:07):

That's awesome. So what message did you want to convey during the pageant? What was your platform?

Justina Plowden (08:13):

My platform was accessible transportation for all. So, basically not everyone is able to get on a bus. Some of us need to-

Mary Baudoin (08:20):

Or call an Uber. Right.

Justina Plowden (08:22):

Exactly. Just being made aware, what people with disabilities face on their day-to-day living is very important because not everyone has those... Don't face these challenges or barriers that we do. So just being able to let our legislators, our policymakers, know that, hey, these infrastructure needs to be made in order to be inclusive for everyone, because not all of us have [inaudible 00:08:42] type of lifestyle where it's easier to just hop a car and go. No, it takes a few people to get one person over, and then everything has to be modified a certain type of way. So just making sure that wherever they are, and they're listening [inaudible 00:09:00] because they've already started working on the infrastructure, rebuilding certain places to make it accessible.

Mary Baudoin (09:07):

Here in Lafayette. In Lafayette [inaudible 00:09:09].

Justina Plowden (09:08):

Yeah.

Mary Baudoin (09:08):

That's good.

Justina Plowden (09:10):

Yeah, and I was working with our mayor. She's amazing. She's already started... We've done downtown Abbeville, it's so, so accessible. So it's so nice. We're going to be working on [inaudible 00:09:22] right now. Just try to make it for everyone. You don't want to just think about this particular group. No, it should be everyone.

Mary Baudoin (09:29):

And I think it's not just accessibility meaning getting in and out of the building. It also means the way you display merchandise. There was friend of mine who attends UL as a student and she's in a chair and she went to a franchise beauty store and was not able to actually get to the checkout lane because they had the displays so cluttered, she could not check out. And she talked to the cashier, she was able to flag her down and then the cashier asked her, she said, did you want to submit a complaint? She says, you know what? I think I do.

Justina Plowden (10:04):

Yeah.

Mary Baudoin (10:06):

And I don't blame her.

Justina Plowden (10:08):

Yeah, because those little barriers right there, that's her way to get around in that...

Mary Baudoin (10:12):

Right. And there's some stores I've noticed, whether it's in the mall or a boutique, you need to be cognizant of the fact that if somebody's in a wheelchair, you can't have things closed or whatever [inaudible 00:10:25] too tight. People need to walk through them.

Justina Plowden (10:27):

Very hard.

Mary Baudoin (10:28):

Yeah. And I've heard some store owners say, well, I don't have that many people that come in with wheelchairs. Well, maybe you would, if...

Justina Plowden (10:36):

If you made the proper [inaudible 00:10:38].

Mary Baudoin (10:37):

Right, exactly. I wanted to ask you, did you have any memorable moments from the pageant experience? What was your favorite thing that happened to you while you were there?

Justina Plowden (10:47):

We went through the gardens out there. I forgot the name of it, but when I got there it was cold. They warmed up earlier that day. But just viewing them, and we did a scavenger hunt. It was really fun. So we got to all go and find a certain monument or a picture or a statue. So we was all going around. But it was fun to see those. And that's our old pictures. I really, really love art museums. That was one of my favorite moments. Also, speech night as well. We were lining up for speech night and everybody just like, oh my God [inaudible 00:11:19] forget. And I literally looked at my speech twice. I know they were like, you only have two minutes. So whenever you hold up the first time, that lets you know you have 20 seconds left, so... Don't mess this up, in my head. So when, as I'm doing my speech, I see him pop up with the-

Mary Baudoin (11:38):

The little 20 second time left.

Justina Plowden (11:38):

... And I'm like, get it in. Get it in. I'm like, da da da da [inaudible 00:11:44]. That's all I remember. I'm like...

Mary Baudoin (11:46):

You mentioned you like art. Do you like to create art, as well?

Justina Plowden (11:50):

I do. I do. I've tried adapted painting. I'm not very good at it. Getting there. Whenever I need downtown, I'll put music on and I'll just try. And I did it when I was in D.C and I did it again with a friend of mine, and it's relaxing. It's something that...

Mary Baudoin (12:07):

So tell us a little bit more about We Matter. How did you come up with that concept, and what type of initiatives are you guys looking to accomplish?

Justina Plowden (12:16):

We Matter is basically, is a small nonprofit group. We kind try to have our hands in everything. What we mainly do, we give out resources that can help anyone [inaudible 00:12:27] anyone with things that we need and then help them with their quality of life or just resources they may need, share certain things with them that they can utilize in their daily lives. Also, we kind of do outreach. We do a lot of collaborating with different organizations. We've been focusing on, [inaudible 00:12:43] a lot of different legislators about it, it's transportation issue, which [inaudible 00:12:47], so hopefully I can get [inaudible 00:12:51] and I'll try and see if I can get driver to drive maybe any of our community members after hours from 5:00 to 10:00 because we don't have that available right now [inaudible 00:13:01] and in other parishes that are having that situation.

Mary Baudoin (13:04):

That's true.

Justina Plowden (13:05):

Yeah.

Mary Baudoin (13:06):

I've seen, I know of services that take care of bringing a person or a medical appointment during the day from point A to point B, like, they come up at their house, bring them to the doctor and go back. But probably no recreational....

Justina Plowden (13:17):

Yeah, no. So I'm looking into getting [inaudible 00:13:20] trying to get a driver unless the driver that's used to working with someone disabled so they can have the proper care, getting in and out.

Mary Baudoin (13:27):

Definitely.

Justina Plowden (13:28):

I don't want any type of person who doesn't understand that. And just making sure that they get to the store, get what they need, bring them back home properly. Because some people [inaudible 00:13:37] they may need assistance to the door.

Mary Baudoin (13:39):

That's a great idea.

Justina Plowden (13:41):

Yeah, that's what I'm looking forward to, right now. I'm focusing a lot on that part. And we do extremely a lot of advocacy work. That is where my heart is, because right now we have so many issues that are going on, that change so many people's lives.

Mary Baudoin (13:49):

Yes, that is right. So I think... Because sometime in June maybe, there's some type of an event at the Capitol, Louisiana, in Baton Rouge.

Justina Plowden (14:04):

Yeah. With Disability Day.

Mary Baudoin (14:05):

Yes. Disability Day. I think that's a great way to advocate for the things that we need, talk to our local officials, and make them aware... Is needed in the community.

Justina Plowden (14:15):

Yeah. And generally when you speak with your representative, always tell them your story. Tell them why it's important, everything that you deal with daily and how whatever it is that you're talking [inaudible 00:14:27] how did it affect you, how it helps you. You want to make sure you they hear your truth. Don't sugarcoat it, be honest. Tell them how it hurt, and what you would lose. These are all important ways to get them to vote in the correct way so that we can continue having the services that we need.

Mary Baudoin (14:45):

That's really a key point you mentioned, about telling your story, and I love that because one of my other guests mentioned that as well. And I think that's crucial because we're all unique and we all have different stories, and some of us might feel like, oh, they probably don't want to hear much detail about my life. And yeah, you don't have to go into every single detail, but if you tell them the highlights of why something is important to you, telling them your story, just like you said, they will listen.

Justina Plowden (15:14):

They will. So many members of Congress I spoke with, some of our representatives, they were receptive. They check back in with me to see how everything is going. I get emails. It's just how you know how to carry yourself when you're in those meetings, and just be honest and just be who you are. You wouldn't believe the difference it'll make.

Mary Baudoin (15:33):

What advice would you give to someone who wants to become an advocate for disability rights?

Justina Plowden (15:38):

If they're at a doctor's office and the doctors are saying that they can't get a certain thing and they know they can, and they stand up for themselves, they are an advocate. As long as you know what you need in life and you're not going to take no for an answer and you're speaking up about it, that makes you an advocate. Just basically getting out there, then I think speaking on a matter that you know, you do not agree with, [inaudible 00:16:03] know how it would harm so many Americans, and you're out there, you're speaking it and you're telling... That makes you an advocate. You can join any group. We Matter is free to join. I try to speak with all of my members as much as I can. Ways to self-advocate for yourself, we'll show you how to write formal emails, how to contact your local policymakers' offices, give you numbers to it and call and give you a script on what to say when you call.

Mary Baudoin (16:30):

Love that. Some people need a template.

Justina Plowden (16:34):

Yeah. Seriously. No-

Mary Baudoin (16:34):

Yes.

Justina Plowden (16:35):

So it's going to be... It'll make a huge difference on how to go about doing it, because I have to share with you, we don't have the book form right now, I'm going to share it via online, but it's great.

Mary Baudoin (16:45):

That awesome.

Justina Plowden (16:46):

It's an amazing book.

Mary Baudoin (16:47):

Mentioning We Matter, you have a Facebook page, it's a specific group, so people who are interested in learning more about it, they can go to your Facebook page?

Justina Plowden (16:56):

Yes.

Mary Baudoin (16:57):

Yeah. We Matter. Let's look at personal reflection for a minute. I wanted to ask you, what or who keeps you motivated?

Justina Plowden (17:05):

My daughter. And my family. We've been through so much stuff in the past, and she's so caring and she's so loving, and-

Mary Baudoin (17:13):

And what's her name?

Justina Plowden (17:13):

Kaylee.

Mary Baudoin (17:14):

Kaylee.

Justina Plowden (17:15):

Yeah. She is my everything. And it's like, I don't know where I would be [inaudible 00:17:21] and the support of my family is amazing. They, no matter what, they're always with me.

Mary Baudoin (17:27):

Does faith play an important role in your life?

Justina Plowden (17:30):

Yes.

Mary Baudoin (17:30):

Yes. Okay.

Justina Plowden (17:30):

Yes. My faith plays [inaudible 00:17:33].

Mary Baudoin (17:33):

So just looking ahead, what are some of your top priorities for accessibility?

Justina Plowden (17:38):

I hope in the future all locations will be able to have... There will be no barriers in store, besides if there's elevators, that may be needed in certain apartment complex. Downstairs apartments [inaudible 00:17:52] is very, very hard for someone living in a wheelchair, or just, whenever they're designing something, I want people to think of everyone and not one particular group of people. There's so many different things that we, not me as a wheelchair user, I know I need, but with other disabilities, they don't realize that there's other ways that they would have to adjust didn't accommodate certain things for. So I just see a more inclusive future, because so many people are now starting to take heed of what accessibility is, and they're becoming huge allies in our fights whenever we're out there advocating for certain things and they listen. I sat down and I emailed my mayor and she was like, yeah, and she asked, can you send me some information on? And she said, I took a class, but I'm not too familiar, but I'm willing to learn. And just being able to have that is so huge, for someone to listen and understand that, hey, there's so many members in your community and they need this type of help, and [inaudible 00:18:59] go in and do it.

Mary Baudoin (18:59):

It's all about inclusion.

Justina Plowden (19:00):

Yes.

Mary Baudoin (19:00):

I think that's awesome, Justina. Are there any other topics that you would like to talk about, that we did not get a chance to talk about?

Justina Plowden (19:07):

I think that's about everything.

Mary Baudoin (19:08):

I think so too. Well, I want to thank you so much for being here, and I think that's going to close out this episode of This Ability Podcast. So everyone thank you for listening and we'll see you next time.

(19:22):

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