Kya Miles | Photo by Phenomenal Images by DKT Photography | The Wright State Guardian
Sophomore Kya Miles is a Crime and Justice Studies major with a passion for psychology and disability representation, aiming to one day be a civil rights attorney. Miles represents Ohio as Ms. Wheelchair Ohio.
Student life
Miles is a second-year student, starting at Wright State University in the fall of 2022. Starting off as a Psychology major, Miles was drawn to the fascinating mechanisms of the human brain. But as Miles continued in psychological study, she found herself drawn to the criminal and abnormal side of psychology, prompting a switch to a Criminal Justice major.
Growing up watching true crime, Miles enjoyed figuring out the mysteries these shows presented and why. After completing her Bachelor’s and taking a gap year, Miles plans to pursue law school on the journey to becoming a civil rights attorney, specifically focusing on human and disability rights.
“I am also a member of the Black community, and there’s been so much hatred and police violence and so much against my community for hundreds of years,” Miles said. “All those unfortunate deaths because of police brutality, or just brutality in general, because of racism and just a lack of understanding.”
Miles wants to be the change in this system. On campus, Miles is the vice president of Psychology Club and occasionally participates in Troupe. As an executive member for Psychology Club, Miles assisted in picking up the pieces of the club left devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s been really positive so far, and then with Troupe, I have found that they are very kind and accommodating,” Miles said.
One of the reasons Miles chose to attend WSU was because of the campus’ accommodating nature. Many of Miles’ mentors recommended the university.
“I fell in love with the campus, I mean, the fact that legitimately everything was accessible on campus. It was like I entered a whole new world because my high school wasn't very accessible. Nine times out of 10, the push buttons didn't work, and I couldn't really get into buildings by myself. It was a mess. But at Wright State, I could hit an elevator button by myself. I was like, ‘Whoa, what is this?’” Miles said.
From the moment Miles completed a tour of WSU, she knew it was the university for her. With Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita, accessibility was paramount for Miles.
Person before disability
According to the Cleveland Clinic, individuals with Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita “are born with joints that are difficult to move — the joints might be fixed, curved or straight joints frozen in place.”
The condition affects one in 3,000 births, most commonly affecting those assigned female at birth.
Miles’ Arthrogryposis makes her a full-time wheelchair user. Arthrogryposis made a large impact on Miles’ educational experience, especially in K-12. She received an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) during this time as an effort to get her all the accommodation she needed.
Despite Arthrogryposis not having the traits of an intellectual disability, Miles’ school, at the beginning of her education, assumed Miles would be in special education. People often saw Miles as her disability rather than as a person.
This all changed when she came to WSU.
“When you get to Wright State, it's not ‘Oh, you have a disability’ first,” Miles said. “It’s not someone going out to reach out to shake your disability’s hand. It’s like they’re reaching out to shake your hand, and they want to get to know who you are as a person before your disability, which was shocking to me when I got here.”
Miles also noticed an increase in the number of wheelchair users at WSU, a distinct change from often being the only wheelchair user in her K-12 classes. Professors at WSU also work with Miles for accommodations, such as connecting a camera to her phone for a photography class.
Miles’s loving family environment helped her feel supported enough to apply to represent Ohio as Ms. Wheelchair Ohio.
Ms. Wheelchair Ohio
With a history of pageantry in Miles’ family, Miles enjoys the pageant scene.
“I’ve always wanted to be in a pageant, but I just didn’t know where to start because usually all the pageants I’ve seen, they have able-bodied women,” Miles said.
Therefore, Miles began the search for a pageant that better represented her.
Miles then found the Dane Foundation and Ms. Wheelchair Foundation, which work jointly to host the Ms. Wheelchair USA Pageant every year. Originally, Miles was too young to compete, but she kept the competition in mind for the future. Miles discussed the importance of pageant competition.
“It’s about beauty. It’s about intelligence. It’s about wanting to actually make a positive change in society and not just superficial,” Miles said.
When Miles was of age, she submitted an online application to represent the state of Ohio.
Approximately one month later, Miles received a notification being chosen as Ms. Wheelchair Ohio, now making two public appearances each month.
Come July, Miles will compete for the title of Ms. Wheelchair USA.
Miles hopes to use her platform to promote equity, inclusion and diversity in public spaces, especially in regards to wheelchair accessible seats on planes.
