CHARLES COUNTY, Md. — Brittany Rieman, a Charles County mom of three, has been crowned Ms. Wheelchair Maryland 2021. Rieman will represent Maryland at the national Ms. Wheelchair American competition in August.
Rieman impressed judges with her advocacy surrounding addiction in the disability community. But she is relatively new to this work.
In 2018, Rieman was suffering from alcoholism and substance abuse. She fell asleep at the wheel after work one day while under the influence and drove off the road, Rieman said, suffering a spinal cord injury that required her to use a wheelchair.
"I thought my life was over," Rieman said. "I thought...how am I going to be a mom of three children?"
Faced with adapting to life in a wheelchair, Rieman found that being disabled actually made it easier to access the addictive substances that had put her in that position in the first place, she said.
"Being a substance abuse user, I found out the medications were very, very easy to get just because I was disabled," Rieman said.
With her family in mind, Rieman said she resolved to change those patterns. She said she joined a 12-step program and multiple support groups.
“Through my program, I started to love myself and I started to realize that my life was worth more than a pill bottle and my children deserved more," Rieman said.
Rieman said she began educating herself on the prevalence of substance abuse among disabled people, who are especially vulnerable to substance abuse because of how easily they can access prescription drugs, Rieman said. The Ms. Wheelchair Maryland competition gave Rieman a platform to spread awareness about those dangers. Soon, she started visiting rehab facilities to share her story.
"This isn't a beauty pageant, this isn't a talent show," she said. "This is about advocacy and education and empowering women with disabilities. How could we fight as disabled people to make sure that we don't have to use narcotics in order to live a good, healthy, clean life?"
The nonprofit chooses a spokeswoman each year to "strengthen public perception toward disability, serve as a mentor to others, and demonstrate how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) benefits all Americans," according to their website.
Now, Rieman is in the process of launching her own nonprofit called The Great Escape Recovery Lounge. She said it will host recovery meetings and sober events to provide a safe social outlet for people with disabilities who are in recovery.
"I'm pretty grateful for this crown and sash," Rieman said, "because I'm teaching my children you know of just a little bit more about the world and how to treat others."