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Meet Mia Ives-Rublee: An Endorphin Junkie Who Made The Women’s March Accessible

WUNC | By Frank Stasio,
Laura Pellicer
Published April 20, 2020 at 11:29 AM EDT

Mia Ives-Rublee grew up surrounded by adults who were worried about her well-being. She has Osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic bone disorder more commonly known as brittle bone disease, and uses a wheelchair to get around. 

From a young age she pushed back against others’ worries about her body and continuously challenged her own physical limitations. She played competitive sports and competed at an international level in wheelchair track, fencing and adaptive CrossFit.Host Frank Stasio meets Mia Ives-Rublee, athlete and founder of the Women’s March Disability Caucus.

Mia Ives-Rublee joins women activists on stage at the 2017 Women's March on Washington.
Credit Rebecca Cunningham / Courtesy Mia Ives-Rublee
Mia Ives-Rublee joins women activists on stage at the 2017 Women's March on Washington.

Today Ives-Rublee fights to make spaces more accessible for people with disabilities. She founded and coordinated the Women’s March Disability Caucus and works with a range of organizations as an independent consultant on accessibility issues.

Ives-Rublee talks with host Frank Stasio about athletics, activism and exploring her identity as a transracial Korean American adoptee. Note: This program originally aired June 3, 2019. 

Mia Ives-Rublee (center) with her adoptive mother (left) and foster mother in South Korea (right).
Courtesy Mia Ives-Rublee /
Mia Ives-Rublee (center) with her adoptive mother (left) and foster mother in South Korea (right).
Mia Ives-Rublee uses photography to capture the world from a different angle. In this image, part of her 'On Top Of' series, she photographs her brother Tamirat balanced on the edge of his wheelchair.
Mia Ives-Rublee /
Mia Ives-Rublee uses photography to capture the world from a different angle. In this image, part of her 'On Top Of' series, she photographs her brother Tamirat balanced on the edge of his wheelchair.
Mia Ives-Rublee uses photography to capture the world from a different angle. In this image, part of her 'On Top Of' series, she photographs her brother Tamirat balanced on the edge of his wheelchair.
Mia Ives-Rublee /
Mia Ives-Rublee uses photography to capture the world from a different angle. In this image, part of her 'On Top Of' series, she photographs her brother Tamirat balanced on the edge of his wheelchair.

Copyright 2020 North Carolina Public Radio
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio
Laura Pellicer
Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
See stories by Laura Pellicer