Missouri Miss Amazing

The options available to girls with disabilities should reflect their boundless potential.

But because of widely held myths about their capabilities, girls with disabilities are often held back from taking risks that could enrich their personal development, deprived of opportunities to make friends, and granted less access to resources.

As a result, girls with disabilities are more likely to experience low self-esteem than girls without disabilities.

What if we were to question the status quo?

What if, from an early age, women with disabilities were equally as encouraged to consider their goals, challenge themselves, and take pride in every aspect of their identities? Not only would women with disabilities have far greater opportunities to lead fulfilling lives and to affect change, but our world would also reap the benefits of that added value.

Our Approach to Self-Esteem

We provide opportunities for girls and women with disabilities to consider their goals, step outside of their comfort zones, and build networks of support. By investing in girls with disabilities, we nurture a strong community of leaders who push back against stereotypes and advocate for change, thereby creating even greater opportunities for the next generation.

The Power of Self-Esteem

1. FULLFILLMENT: Having self-esteem is a vital first step towards personal fulfillment. When girls with disabilities are encouraged to have pride in their identities and strengths, they gain the mindset necessary for pursuing the greatest versions of themselves.
2. LEADERSHIP: Self-esteem opens up pathways to leadership. When girls and women with disabilities have confidence in their goals and pride in their abilities, they start businesses, advocate for better policies, and speak up for themselves and for others.
3. ADDED VALUE: When women with disabilities reach their fullest potential and have greater opportunities to rise to key decision-making positions, our world sees economic returns4 and benefits from a larger and more diverse pool of visionaries.

Missouri Miss Amazing AMPLIFY

Miss Missouri Amazing AMPLIFY is a circuit of local events that teach self-advocacy skills to girls and women with disabilities ages 5+ in a fun environment with real stakes. 

The Skill Areas

The areas of participation at a Miss Amazing event are known as our “skill areas”. The goal of every skill area is to offer a platform for participants to share their stories and to grow as self-advocates.

INTERVIEW: During this one-on-one conversation with the judges, Miss Amazing participants exercise communication skills that could help them land their dream job or make a new friend.

PASSION PRESENTATION: The passion presentation is a 90 second performance or presentation that showcases the pastime or hobby that you are most passionate about! Whether you love teaching people about recycling or you have a passion for tap dancing, this is your time to share your passions with others.

INTRODUCTION: The microphone is yours! During her introduction, each participant shares her interests, strengths, and ambitions with the audience. This skill area offers participants a chance to exercise public speaking skills and to share their stories with members of the community.

Who Participates?

Girls and women ages 5 and older who have an IEP, IPP, 504 plan, SSI, or a physician’s document proving disability are eligible to participate in Miss Amazing.

Our Goals:

Since our event is FREE for our participants to participate in, we solely rely on donations and sponsorships to make our event possible. Due to the overwhelming success of our 2024 Missouri Miss Amazing Amplify event, we are projecting that our 2025 Amplify event will be a two-day event to accommodate more girls & women with disabilities to have the chance to grow their advocacy skills and to boost their self-esteem as they participate in our program!

We also want to start monthly get-togethers/volunteer opportunities/workshops for the girls and women that participate to have the chance to practice advocating for themselves throughout the whole year leading up to our Amplify event. We want to create a Missouri Miss Amazing village that the girls and women that are participating to take part of and to have the capability to rely on one another for a variety of things.  

Donations to our organization will give us the necessary tools that we need to provide these opportunities for girls and women with disabilities to grow & do AMAZING things in the STL area and beyond!