Shannon Coe, Ms Wheelchair California 2008, lives in Davis with her husband. Shannon was born in a devastated post-war Vietnam and was afflicted with polio as the result of a broken immunization infrastructure. Fleeing the political aftermath of the war, Shannon’s parents lovingly carried her as a four-year-old child on the dangerous journey from refugee camp to refugee camp until they were sponsored by a church to immigrate to the United States.
In the U.S. Shannon received her first wheelchair and grew up to appreciate international affairs and advocacy for disability rights. In 2000, she received a BA from U.C. Berkeley in Mass Communications. Shannon also studied abroad in England where she was successful in having a Member of Parliament spend a day following her around campus in a wheelchair to understand the barriers that confronted students with disabilities. Shannon continued to advocate for disability rights issues in the U.S. where she interned with the ADA section of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington D.C, and also with the City of Berkeley.
After graduation, Shannon was selected to attend the Beijing +5 UN Declaration and Platform for Action conference to evaluate the progress of women with disabilities under the UN Convention and the National Youth Leadership Network conference. Shannon later worked as an Acting Program Coordinator for the Fulfillment Fund Teen Access Program, a non-profit organization that provides mentors and educational resources for teens with disabilities. She has also been a mentor for young women with disabilities for the Youth Empowerment Project, and a trainer for Mobility International USA.
From 2004-2006, Shannon served in Paraguay as a Peace Corps Volunteer, working with NGO’s and the Paraguayan government on projects to improve basic disability rights for Paraguayans with disabilities. Shannon has also twice raised sufficient funds to travel to developing nations with Joni and Friends (a nonprofit organization) to distribute hundreds of wheelchairs at a time to some of the world’s poorest people with disabilities.
Shannon will be studying for a Masters degree in international affairs at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) in the Fall. Her personal and professional passions have taken her to 41 countries, and with the help of a merit scholarship to attend MIIS, Shannon intends to specialize in human rights for people with disabilities both nationally and internationally.
Ms. Wheelchair California is available for speaking engagements, master of ceremony events, parades, photo opportunities and other community events. All events will be considered, and if deemed appropriate and scheduling allows the Ms. Wheelchair California Program will do its best to accommodate your request. Please Contact: Ms Wheelchair California 2008 directly at hyshannon@yahoo.com or call (530) 204-7628. Please visit her http://mswheelchairca08.blogspot.com/ for the advocacy she will be doing for the State of California.
Shannon will compete for Ms Wheelchair America 2009! The Pageant will be held on Monday, July 21, 2008 through Sunday, July 27, 2008 Hilton Washington DC/Rockville Executive Meeting Center 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, United States 20852-1699. To help sponsor Shannon's trip to Nationals please contact Shannon or come and cheer her on!!
