Interviews by Chillie Falls, Travel and Cruise Industry News, Chillie’s Cruises
Kelly Giannattasio Narowski works as a government contractor, giving safety briefings to United States Army Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen around the country. She is a professional speaker and has delivered speeches to hundreds of audiences to include schools, leadership conferences, as well as military groups.
Two months after Kelly graduated with a degree in Health & Exercise Science from Missouri Western State University, she moved to Santa Barbara, California to start an exciting new life. Two months later, Kelly was involved in a serious car crash which left her with severe injuries. As a consequence of the crash, Kelly was permanently paralyzed from the chest down. Since she recognized her crash was a direct result of high risk driving behavior, injury prevention through education became important to her.
After her crash, Kelly worked full time as a corporate travel agent and simultaneously worked for a Missouri chapter of the Think First Foundation, an international brain and spinal cord injury prevention program for children and teens. Kelly spoke to over 54,000 students from 2001-2005 and educated children and teenagers on topics such as the importance of seatbelts, helmet use, and diving safety. Kelly was featured in a national speaker training video produced by the National Think First Injury Prevention Foundation in collaboration with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. She was also featured on several promotional materials for the Kansas City chapter and was a member of the National Think First VIP task force.
Another important part of Kelly’s life is her role as a disability rights advocate. Proud of her involvement in the disability rights movement, Kelly works to help businesses in North Carolina and Virginia become more accessible to people with disabilities. For three years, she served on the Board of Directors for the Whole Person Center for Independent Living. She is an active member of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, the Fayetteville Advisory Council for Persons with Disabilities, and volunteers as a peer mentor for people with recent spinal cord injuries. Kelly is the former Miss Wheelchair Missouri 2001.
An avid traveler, Kelly has visited 46 states and 48 countries since she was paralyzed.