By Matt Shaw | Daily Times Staff Writer
A disabled Wilson woman is lobbying Congress, the Federal Aviation Administration and Gov. Mike Easley on a quest to have every U.S. airport install a family assistance restroom.
A word of warning to officials at the unequipped airports — Tawana Williams usually achieves what she wants.
Despite being born without arms, Williams has learned to care for herself, built a successful public speaking career and raised a daughter.
“I was born to win — that’s the only conceivable reason that God made me the way I am,” she said Tuesday. “I am here to inspire and change lives of people all over this world.
“And I’ll never quit because I am a fighter.”
U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield may take up her cause. His office is investigating her request, spokesman Ken Willis said Tuesday evening.
“It would be our hope that Congressman Butterfield could offer legislation when Congress returns in early September,” Willis said.
Williams, 45, was born without arms, caused by her mother’s use of Thalidomide, a one-time popular drug to combat morning sickness. It caused severe birth defects in thousands of children before it was banned in the early 1960s.
Yet, Williams has learned to do most tasks with her feet — write, draw, even type 35-40 words per minute. She overcame an addiction to crack cocaine that began in high school. She was able to care for her daughter, who is now an adult.
She has used her experiences as the basis for a book, “Unarmed But Dangerous,” and a successful career as a motivational speaker. She typically has 15-20 appearances a month.
It was during one of those cross-country flights last month that Williams finally ran out of patience. She and her husband, Toby, were in the Dallas-Fort Worth airport on a layover. The airport’s only family restroom, which she needs because she requires assistance in the restroom, was in another concourse.
“I really needed to use it, but we didn’t have time to go and come back,” she said.
She was able to wait until she could board and then use the plane’s restroom. Although she is only 4 feet 5 1/2 inches tall, her husband is 6 feet 2 inches tall, making a plane stall a tight fit.
“Flight attendants are really nice about it, but those bathrooms are super small,” she said.
Tired of the inconvenience, she decided then that she was going to fight to have the family restrooms required in all airports. She wrote a letter that she sent to every U.S. senator and representative, mostly via e-mail. She also sent it to the FAA and Easley’s office.
She has also alerted people on her e-mail lists.
“I’m a busy person, but if I don’t take the time to do this, who will?” she said.
The larger restrooms do not only serve the disabled, she noted, but are also used by parents with small children, the elderly and others with caregivers.
“So I am not speaking out just for me. I am speaking for millions of Americans,” she said. “We have paid for our tickets just like anyone else and we are entitled to use the restroom like anyone else.
“I am not doing this for the drama — I don’t need the drama — I want to see results.”
Please help support Tawana and sign the petition.
RobertXA,
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Sister, you are certainly unarmed but dangerous!! As soon as I have both transportation and money and/or BNICEH or IMPRUVE is ready, we may join you in DC lobbying!! We have tto lobby for Green Patrit Van Pol nd neighborhood vehcl in l the states anywy. Are you in touch with AAPD, Van Jones and NCD on you issue?
Correted: Sister, you are certainly unarmed but dangerous!! As soon as I have both transportation and money and/or BNICEH or IMPRUVE is ready, we may join you in DC lobbying!! We have to lobby for Green Paratransit Van Pool and neighborhood vehicles in all the states anyway. The feds, IL and Chicago already approved neighborhood vehicles (we are working with the inventor who designed vehicles completely solar powered, not electric — no carbon emission,low maintenane,low xcost, cost $5-7,000, for short trips traveling no faster thn 25 MPH. He used to work for Chrsler He attended my presentation at the Green Fest). Are you in touch with AAPD, Van Jones and NCD on you issue?
Tawana, I give on correcting the prior email. Please fogive me. I need to help somebody develop new keyboard technology or better and faster voice recognition technology, so people like me who have carpal tunnel or arthritis, or can’t reach keys due to mobility issues or can’t pound the so-called accessible keyboards hard enough can type without looking like idiots who can’tt spell or persons who can’t spell. My accessible keyboard skips letters if you don’t pound hard enough. Pounding is painful. Voice recognition software (I have Dragon Dictate) takes 4 times as long to type and misinterprets too many words as I speak. It is faster to manually type on the keyboard. I will be trying out a rounded keyboard soon, but will still present to the group Green Think Tank for the Disability Community as a minor problem to be solved.
i was starting to imagine i could be the only man or women that thought about this, at least at present i comprehend i’m not ridiculous
i will make sure to find out more about a number of several other blogposts after i get some caffeine in me, it is arduous to read with out my coffee, I was unbelivably late last evening enjoying myspace poker and after getting my fill with a few brewskies i finished up giving up all my zynga poker chips take care 
Often times we learn through the story of others that silence sometimes need to be broken to help other people. Breaking silence is often the healing in one’s own soul. It takes courage, and fighting from beneath the rubble to find that courage. This is what I needed. Someone who found the courage within despite the reality. Faith helps us fly with or without wings. Faith is the air underneath the eagle that caused the eagle to soar, it is the very thing that we cannot see but know if activated it will take us to our destiny. You have proven if one activates faith, and decide, the sky is the limit. God is no respector of person. Thank you for your story.
This comment was not made for the Congress excerpt, but a personal testimony of how the courage of Ms. Williams has helped me to make a decision that required me to take a stand and not be afraid.
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By the way this is a little off subject but I really like your sites layout.
Extremely interesting blog post thank you for writing it I just added your site to my bookmarks and will be back
By the way this is a little off subject but I really like your web page layout.
This comment is for the the wonderful,couragous,and brave woen who inspires me to do my best and i dosay thank you for all you support