Advocacy
Turning lived experience into systems-level change.
How Latavia's Advocacy Began
Latavia’s advocacy began out of necessity—for essential items and accommodations such as access to a desk, automatic doors, and other basic supports required to fully participate in educational and public spaces.
Over time, these personal experiences expanded into a broader awareness of systemic issues. Latavia witnessed essential services disappear or change—often without disabled people included in decision-making—revealing how exclusion at the systems level directly impacts access, autonomy, and quality of life.
What began as the need to advocate for individual access evolved into a commitment to ensuring disabled voices are consistently included in conversations that shape policy, services, and everyday environments.
Advocacy Timeline
Barriers to wheelchairs, braces, and prosthetics revealed systemic inequities impacting independence and safety.
Latavia organized the Silent Voices Speak Out Rally and many others. She has also organized several lobby days in Albany, NY.
Medicaid parity refers to reimbursing the durable medical equipment industry at 100% of established rates rather than 30–40% below outdated 1987 reimbursement levels.
Ms. Wheelchair New York 2025 to Ms. Wheelchair America 2026.
Phase 1
Lived Experience & Access Barriers
Barriers to wheelchairs, braces, and prosthetics revealed systemic inequities impacting independence and safety.
Phase 2
Silent Voices Speak Out
Phase 3
Medicaid Parity
Phase 4
Leadership as Leverage
Breaking Barriers Through Education & Leadership
As Ms. Wheelchair America 2026, Latavia’s advocacy expanded beyond individual experiences and into a national platform rooted in education, leadership, and visibility.
Her reign is centered on breaking barriers through education and leadership—ensuring disabled people are not only included, but recognized as leaders, educators, and experts within their communities.
This work continues through Silent Voices Rising, an emerging nonprofit advocacy and education initiative focused on advancing empathy, access, and community-driven learning, and Advocacy in Motion, LLC, a founder-led initiative turning advocacy into action through consulting, workshops, and public speaking.
Together, these efforts reflect a commitment to sustainable change—amplifying disabled voices, challenging misconceptions, and building pathways for leadership that extend far beyond a single title.
Watch the Moment
To see this leadership and advocacy in action, you can watch key moments from Latavia’s national journey:
Crowning Night
Watch the moment Latavia was crowned Ms. Wheelchair America 2026
Speech Night
Watch Latavia's platform speech centered on breaking barriers through education and leadership