When Abbey Curran first saw a flyer for a local beauty pageant, she was 16 and walked with a pronounced limp due to cerebral palsy. Despite classmates who dismissed her chances of winning, she was determined to compete.
In 2008, Abbey was crowned Miss Iowa and became the first disabled person ever to compete for the title of Miss USA.
She says she broke the glass ceiling so it would be normal for girls who seem different to be counted among beauty pageant contestants.
In fact, just recently, Nicole Kelly, who was born without her left forearm, was crowned Miss Iowa. As a result, the 23-year-old will find herself competing at the Miss America pageant in September in Atlantic City, N.J.
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