Kelly Berger is a fierce rare disease and disability advocate from Cincinnati, Ohio, who lives with congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD). Her passionate advocacy work has received considerable recognition. She was crowned 2023 Ms. Wheelchair Ohio Ambassador for her platform of rare inclusion, where she took on speaking engagements and led opportunities for young females who live with a disability throughout the state of Ohio. More recently, she earned a 2024 RareVoice Award and a 2024 RARE Champion of Hope Nomination.
She devotes her time to amplifying the needs of the disability community and is constantly championing inclusion in all facets of life. Mentoring young adults living with similar neuromuscular disease is a cause that’s close to her heart and provides her with great joy.
Challenging perceptions as to what all can be accomplished as a full-time wheelchair user, Kelly uses her time in the public eye to teach the community that anything is possible and the limits to your achievements do not exist, regardless of the barriers put in front of you. She is driving visibility by elevating the voices of the disability community in the current U.S. political landscape, to ensure that the current and future disabled needs aren’t left behind or dismissed by threatening policy cuts. She’s attended numerous local protests on the front lines and is helping put a face to DEI, Medicaid, and 504, all of which are presently being challenged.
Kelly attended the University of Kentucky, earning a B.A. in Journalism with a concentration in Online Media and Marketing. She recently graced the cover of her Alma mater’s campus magazine Spring 2025 edition, highlighting her advocacy achievements in a cover story entitled, “Wheels of Change.”
She penned her largest feature article to date (10 pages) in the Issue 3 Fall 2025 edition of MDA’s Quest Media Magazine 75th Anniversary Edition. With great honor she wrote the 70th Anniversary of MDA’s Summer Camp in a piece tilted, “MDA Summer Camp Magic: Where Anything Is Possible,” detailing the magic of Camp. It shares heart-felt stories, quotes, and photos from campers of all ages telling tales of their memorable time at the neuromuscular getaway.
She adores live music and is always attending a concert or festival, typically driving states away to see her favorites. She is a serious gig-goer and her current gig count is somewhere in the astonishing couple of hundreds and rising. Going to shows is her preferred outlet, a sense of music therapy release that keeps her sane and soothes her soul. She utilizes her adapted mobility van as her means of independence, fueling her thirst for constant travel adventures—she’s explored over 40 states and counting.
Her spare time is also spent taking photos of anything & everything. Mostly travel, flowers in every form or live music related, keep up w/ her Instagram for the latest!