SCI Superstar: Bethany Hoppe

Bethany Hoppe wears so many hats she could open her own hat shop. A theater director, writer, voice actor, creator, advocate, TEDx speaker, wife and mother, in spite of her disability Bethany has been unstoppable in the game of life.

Her journey however into becoming the fierce woman she is today began in an unassuming place – a simple dairy farm. Once old enough, Bethany left home, setting forth on a path that even most able-bodied people wouldn’t be able to keep up with.

One of the most vocal advocates out there for women with disabilities, and an artist at the very core of who she is, this is Bethany Hoppe.

Why She’s Fearless

Since the moment she was born with spinal bifida, learning how to be fearless was instilled in Bethany. Active in high school in both music and sports, she never let her wheelchair prevent her from fully participating in life. Wheelchair basketball, weightlifting, wheelchair dance – she did it all.

Bethany knew however she would need a solid education if she ever wanted to be independent. She went on to study communications at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania where she received her master’s in communication studies. And a few years after graduating, she was hired by Middle Tennessee State University to be an instructor of public speaking and voice and diction. Bethany taught at this prestigious college for many years.

Teaching however wasn’t the only thing she did at Middle Tennessee State University. Also passionate about wheelchair dance since being introduced to the sport in college, Bethany was part of an integrated dance piece in 2013 called “Uncommon Rituals” that included another SPINALpedia SCI Superstar, wheelchair actress and new mommy, Teal Sherer. 

Teaching college students is just one slice of who Bethany is. Since its inception, she’s also been involved with mobileWOMEN, a fabulous nonprofit dedicated to helping women with disabilities. 

What’s Next?

In 2013, she published her first book, Molly B. Golly’s Wonderful Dancing Debut, a story that follows a 9 year old girl in a wheelchair who loves to dance. And in 2014 she gave a TEDx speech titled, “Promoting the status of women with disabilities.” Bethany and her husband, Tyson, also have a son.

What we love about Bethany is that no matter what she does, it’s all comes back to promoting the rights of people with disabilities, and she does it with such infectious energy that you can’t help but listen.

– Follow her on IG

— Visit her site Bethany Hoppe Productions