After growing up in foster care and being homeless in her early adult life, Rynita McGuire,
Ms. Wheelchair Michigan 2025, plans to use her platform to inspire mentorship, advocate for inclusion, and challenge disability stereotypes.
Through her advocacy, the artist and educator hopes to encourage people to become the mentors she wished she had growing up.
McGuire was born with arthrogryposis, a condition that affects her joints and mobility. She says she struggled with societal assumptions and limited expectations, but found her way by following her creative passions that made her resilient.
“I've had a huge life, and it didn't start out huge,” says McGuire. “I started out in the foster care system, then I spent a couple of years homeless, and then I traveled across the country to California by myself to break free of the system that I was in.”
Message of mentorship
McGuire won her crown in January and will compete against other state winners for the national title of Ms. Wheelchair America in August. The regional competition was an all-day event, filled with workshops and one-on-one interviews with judges.
Contestants also presented platform speeches on what they would do with the title.
“My platform, ‘Everyone deserves a “roll” model,’ is to create a mentorship program where successful adults with disabilities can mentor young and newly disabled people to help them navigate obstacles and inspire them to follow their own dreams and ambitions,” she says.
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Courtesy Rynita McGuireMs. Wheelchair Michigan 2025 Rynita McGuire will go on to compete for the national title this fall.
“We are rarely encouraged or taught what we can achieve. People often assume we’re going to have a mediocre life.”
McGuire hopes to change that narrative.
“Somebody said to me once, 'How does it feel to be the role model you always wished you had growing up?' That hit home for me,” McGuire says. “With this platform, I can inspire and mentor people with disabilities while also educating others who may not have disabilities.”
She was drawn to the Miss Wheelchair Michigan pageant because it's an advocacy competition.
“You win based on the merits of your advocacy and what you've done with your life as a person with a disability,” McGuire says. “At first, I wasn't sure about entering. But then I realized the platform could help me tell my story and encourage others.”
She already had compiled a long list of achievements before entering the competition. In addition to her DJ career, she has built an extensive academic background. She teaches drawing at
Ferris State University's Kendall College of Art and Design and watercolor and composition at
Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Occasionally, she offers classes at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.
“When I started grad school at (Kendall College of Art and Design), I knew I wanted to teach,” says McGuire, who earned degrees in illustration, graphic design, painting, and drawing. She graduated from Western Michigan University with a BFA in painting and completed her master’s in drawing at KCAD in 2019.
McGuire draws and paints with her mouth and has her entire life.
She credits KCAD professor Danielle Wyckoff for advocating for her at KCAD by selecting her to be a teacher’s assistant.
‘She has built this life for herself’
Wyckoff recalls being impressed by McGuire’s drawing ability and her insightful critiques.
“We faced some pushback from administration (long gone – not this current one),” Wyckoff says, “people questioning if she could teach drawing without having use of her hands. I replied, ‘You don't need hands to draw! Look at her work!’ I also kept telling people that she was more capable than just about anyone I knew, and her skills in critique were what students needed.
“Rynita was an excellent TA – she went above and beyond what I asked of her. And as usual, her understanding of art – form, composition, concept, material, process – was supreme. Her feedback and suggestions were substantial and helpful.”
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Two powerful works by Rynita McGuire: Beauty is Bone Deep is an x-ray-style drawing of her hand, showing the effects of arthrogryposis. My Hands, My Life illustrates how she uses her mouth to draw, paint, and DJ—tasks most do with their hands.
McGuire says Wyckoff “did not take it easy on me.”
“She threw at me everything she would throw at any other TA, and I rocked it. Then when I graduated and the job came up, she was actually part of the hiring committee for the adjunct position I applied for.”
Teaching at the KCAD has been life-changing, McGuire says.
"My experience at Kendall has opened up doors for me to work in other places,” she says. “And many people are like, 'Oh, well, she can work there, then we don't have to question whether or not she can do it.”.
Wyckoff is delighted that her former student is now her colleague.
“I know that she's a great teacher. I see the work her students are doing; I hear her interacting with them. It's evident they respect her and are learning so much with her.
“I'm really proud to say she was once my student and TA. But I have to give her all the credit. She has built this life for herself.”
Varied life experiences
She says it took her time to find her way into teaching, her life’s passion.
“When I got out of foster care, I was a bit wild for a while, doing things I never had the chance to do as a kid,” McGuire says. “Eventually, I found the rave scene and electronic music community, and that’s how I got into DJing.”
She’s still a DJ, known as DJ Short-e — the only one who can DJ and spin records with their mouth.
“I toured all over the country in the height of my career and inspired a lot of people that way. I have such a big story, and I wanted to share it and help start a program to mentor people with disabilities, so they can see somebody like me be successful and want more for their life than what they’re encouraged to do for themselves,” she says.
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Courtesy Rynita McGuireRynita McGuire is known as DJ Short-e — the only one who can DJ and spin records with their mouth.
In addition to her other challenges, McGuire has also faced transportation barriers. She spends one-third of her salary on hiring people to drive her between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids to work because she hasn’t had the support to learn how to drive.
“It’s exhausting, not only financially but emotionally,” she says. “A lot of people don’t realize how limiting it can be when you can’t just hop in a car and go where you need to go. I’m fortunate to have work I love, but transportation is a constant hurdle.”
McGuire's journey of self-advocacy and achievement has equipped her with the insight to build a meaningful mentorship network. With her story, she hopes to uplift others and break down barriers, proving that people with disabilities can live full, accomplished lives.
“Everyone deserves a ‘roll’ model, someone they can look up to, so they can dream of and achieve a bright and fulfilling future.”
From furniture to shoes, from arts to education to even policy creation, design is everywhere you look. Designed in Michigan, a story series coming out of West Michigan, is devoted to sharing the expansive role design plays in Michigan's past, present and future. It is made possible through the support of Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University.