“My motto this year (my reign is until September) is that it’s not that people don’t want to help, they don’t know how,” she said. “So it’s completely my job to educate people on how they can help people with disabilities.” Eisenbraun has a personal connection to the cause. “I was in Pierre a couple of weeks ago and I was like, ‘You have handicap buttons on the gas pumps but I can’t reach them because there’s no room between the pump and my car so how am I supposed to independently ask for help? Not everyone has a cell phone with internet where they can Google the number for the gas station and ask if they can come out and pump the gas.’ Not all businesses are that good at wanting to come out and do it. A lot of times you have to wait for another consumer you can ask to fill your tank.” Along with filling up gas, Eisenbraun has also noticed the lack of accessibility for businesses and rest stops throughout the state and so has made it one of her platforms to help businesses come up with economical ways to accommodate for those with disabilities. Putting in a doorbell with a sign for example so someone in the store can come and open the door for a wheelchair-bound customer. “Some places are reluctant to make them accessible because they don’t want to spend thousands and thousands of dollars even though anything a business does to make it more accessible is tax deductible,” she said. “So my whole goal is how can I find inexpensive ways for you to improve so I can go in there. If you spend $30 or $40 you’ll get that money back because I’m going to come in and spend money there where I wouldn’t have gone in and spent money if I couldn’t have gotten in.” Going into the Ms Wheelchair pageant, Eisenbraun’s main platform dealt with service dogs. “The reason I did that is because I live with one,” she said. “I know all the negative comments you get. I was just in WalMart last night and I was shopping with him and someone was like, ‘why do they bring service dogs into WalMart?’ Um, because he’s helping me. He gets things off the bottom shelf that I can’t reach and puts it on my lap. If I drop something he picks it up. He helps to make sure that I don’t always have to ask for help because he’s always right there to do it.” Huxley also helps her around the house by opening doors, helping her if she falls down, getting things out of the refrigerator and even putting her clothes in and out of the washer and dryer. According to Eisenbraun, though it is acceptable to ask what a service dog can do, it is not appropriate to ask a person to demonstrate these services. People should avoid petting or distracting service dogs in any way without the owner’s permission. It is also a felony to harm a service animal in any way. “There are many different issues but these are the issues that affect my life on a daily basis so I have the most background and knowledge on those topics,” Eisenbraun said. “When people feel the passion they’re more likely to help you change.” If someone notices a person with a disability, Eisenbraun said it’s best to ask them if they need assistance rather than ignore them. “There are a lot of people who don’t want you to ask if they vMS WHEELCHAIR continued on page 29