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Don’t be fooled by Jenny Addis’ sweet smile and gentle demeanor, or even the fact she’s a Midwestern lady from Wisconsin. A quadriplegic for nearly 30 years, Jenny is one of the loudest trailblazers in Wisconsin’s disability community.
The founder of “This Is How We Roll” fashion show, a fundraiser for spinal cord injury research, as well as an outdoors lover who won the 2011 National Park Service Award for her work on creating accessible trails in Wisconsin, Jenny’s wheels barely rest and that’s exactly how she likes it.
Why She’s Fearless
When she was 24 years old, Jenny’s life took are complete 180°. While a passenger in a car driven by her boyfriend in 1997 (who later on revealed he was drunk), she was paralyzed instantly when the car crashed, and became a C5-6 quadriplegic as a result.
After her injury, Jenny admits she never would have dreamed she’d say, “I’m glad this happened to me,” but nearly 20 years later she’s singing a different tune. She loves the journey she’s been on and the people she’s met along the way.
And interestingly, she says learning how to do her makeup and hair again after her injury was a game changer. Once she figured out that, she knew she could conquer anything.
Because of this, it came as no surprise to anyone that two years ago she founded This Is How We Roll, a fashion show featuring dozens of wheelchair users. The show raises money for the Byron Riesch Foundation for SCI research and to improve the community’s awareness of disability.
But long before this, Jenny was already passionate about advocacy opportunities of woman with disabilities, and entered Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin in 2001, winning the title. She says winning Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin is what helped launch her motivational speaking career.
Speaking at elementary schools to colleges, Jenny is an open book and has no qualms sharing everything from how she was injured and her daily life struggles to her passions in life. One of which is the outdoors, and Jenni has gotten fiercely involved in helping make trails in Wisconsin more accessible post-injury.
She specifically was involved with the planning committee for the Bohn Lake Accessible Trail, a 1/4 mile accessible trail covered in crushed limestone and part of the larger Waushara Ice Age Trail system. Her work with this trail was so important, helping to further accessibility at state parks, that she won the 2011 National Park Service Award because of this work.
What’s Next?
Jenny also worked with the state parks of Wisconsin and snagged a gig as TV host for “Discover Wisconsin,” a local cable show where she showcased accessible features at state parks throughout Wisconsin. And she’s currently busy with her “This Is How We Roll” annual fashion show/fundraiser, which has changed countless of lives over the last 10 years.
ideas@spinalpedia.com
