Full Analysis Summary
Ms. Wheelchair Advocacy Focus
Liz Alford, a Great Falls resident, was named Ms. Wheelchair Montana 2026 and is competing for Ms. Wheelchair America.
She emphasizes advocacy over pageantry, using the title to push for better accessibility and to inspire others with disabilities.
KRTV and KRTV NEWS Great Falls report that Alford views the role as educational and plans to use it to push for change across Montana.
The coverage also notes that the program spotlights advocates who press for concrete policy and infrastructure improvements to benefit people with disabilities statewide.
Coverage Differences
Tone/Narrative similarity with minor wording differences
Both sources (KRTV and KRTV NEWS Great Falls) present the story as an advocacy-focused win for Alford. KRTV frames it as giving her 'a platform and responsibility to educate and push for change,' while KRTV NEWS Great Falls phrases it as 'a platform and responsibility to push for better accessibility' and 'recently named,' a slight wording difference but the same core narrative.
Everyday accessibility barriers
Alford and other advocates highlight everyday accessibility barriers across Great Falls and throughout Montana.
They point to crumbling sidewalks, narrow doorways, and accessible parking spaces that are misused or positioned so ramps cannot fully deploy.
Those issues sometimes leave wheelchair users unable to enter businesses or exit their vehicles.
Both sources quote examples of improperly parked vehicles blocking van exits and say these problems are widespread, occasionally forcing people into the street.
Coverage emphasizes that these are practical, everyday obstacles the Ms. Wheelchair Montana platform aims to highlight and change.
Coverage Differences
Detail emphasis
Both KRTV and KRTV NEWS Great Falls report identical examples of barriers (crumbling sidewalks, narrow doorways, improperly used accessible parking). The two pieces mirror each other in listing the same concrete obstacles; neither source introduces additional examples or policy proposals beyond describing prevalence and impact.
ADA accessibility in Great Falls
Advocates cited in the coverage, including independent living specialist Shyla Patera, emphasize that accessibility is a civil right under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), yet significant gaps remain in transportation, infrastructure and public spaces.
Both articles report Patera's point that progress has been slow and that the ADA's protections are not fully realized in Great Falls, framing Alford's role as a public advocate to push for enforcement and improvements.
Coverage Differences
Attribution and framing
Both sources report the same advocacy framing and attribution to Shyla Patera. They explicitly state that advocates stress accessibility is a civil right under the ADA, with no source presenting an opposing view or additional legal analysis. The two pieces are consistent in quoting Patera and in stressing slow progress.
Accessibility and advocacy
Both stories frame Alford's win and campaign as intended to inspire others with disabilities, including her own children, and to push local leaders to address concrete accessibility issues.
They emphasize her commitment to educate the public and policymakers and to use the Ms. Wheelchair Montana title to spotlight obstacles that affect everyday mobility and independence, advocating practical changes rather than pageant-style accolades.
Coverage Differences
Emphasis on inspiration vs. policy
KRTV explicitly says the title helps 'inspire her own children' while KRTV NEWS Great Falls states she hopes to 'inspire her children and others with disabilities.' Both emphasize inspiration and advocacy, with no source offering a detailed policy roadmap — the coverage focuses on identifying barriers and asserting advocacy responsibility rather than laying out specific legislative fixes.