Born with a birth defect that affected her spine but not her mind, Katherine Magnoli is the perfect author to tackle issues of disability and acceptance. Thus, at the age of 26 Katherine set out to write stories about a superhero in a wheelchair, entitled “The Adventures of KatGirl”. KatGirl is a superhero who helps kids who are being bullied for being physically different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though KatGirl originally was written to solely tackle disability issues, it has expanded into a collection of stories that helps create inclusion for all those who may feel excluded from time to time. This premise has opened many doors for Katherine, allowing her to share her stories with thousands of children of all ages and abilities sets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Katherine has also expanded her advocacy from stories to so much more! The first being \u00a0that Katherine has\u00a0received \u00a0her AA degree in Exceptional Student Education from Miami Dade College. In addition, Katherine received her certificate completion from the Emerging\u00a0Transformational Leadership Program and the Self Advocacy Leadership Training held by the Mailman Center for Child Development located at the University of \u00a0Miami. Completing these fellowships gave Katherine the confidence needed to take her advocacy to the next level, and in 2017 Katherine was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Florida.
Over the last three years, Katherine has used her title as a catalyst to get so much done in the promotion of inclusion for ALL people. Some of her accomplishments include advocating for beach access in several locations in South Florida, helping residents with physical disabilities as well as the elderly and those with new born babies have an easier more fun-filled experience at the beach.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lastly, Katherine created a PowerPoint presentation entitled the Youbilities Program, whose name recently changed to the Abilities Program. This program is to educate children on both historical figures and celebrities who have accomplished great things while living with a disability. Recently the program’s activities were adapted by Miami Dade County Public School District to fit their Kindness Matters criteria for both their Disability Awareness Month and Inclusion Week. Other local schools that are privately owned have shown interest and recently adapted the program to their school as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Katherine was a co-host for an online radio show entitled, Behind the Chair, that helps other advocates from around the country share their stories and change the perception of disability by showcasing that we can live well-rounded lives as well as anyone else.
Lastly, Katherine continues her mission through her stories, and she is looking to expand her collection that help bring inclusion for those living with different disabilities in addition to those who use wheelchairs for mobility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently, Katherine is a liaison for the Miami Inclusion Alliance. She is also making strides in taking her stories and lessons for children and turning them into a kids show that focuses on inclusion for all!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Born with a birth defect that affected her spine but not her mind, Katherine Magnoli is the perfect author to tackle issues of disability and acceptance. Thus, at the age of 26 Katherine set out to write stories about a superhero in a wheelchair, entitled “The Adventures of KatGirl”. KatGirl is a superhero who helps […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":66,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":30,"url":"https:\/\/katgirlandfriends.com\/","url_meta":{"origin":5,"position":0},"title":"Katgirl and Friends","author":"rbhern","date":"March 25, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"KatGirl and Friends Inc's mission is to promote inclusion for all children. With every book purchase or donation, Katherine Magnoli will use it to enhance this mission with new stories published and travels to share her stories and message to kids all around the country! Contact Kat See Katherine speak\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/katgirlandfriends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Katherineaward.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/katgirlandfriends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Katherineaward.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/katgirlandfriends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Katherineaward.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":310,"url":"https:\/\/katgirlandfriends.com\/?page_id=310","url_meta":{"origin":5,"position":1},"title":"Katgirl in Action","author":"rbhern","date":"August 2, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Katgirl at Childrens Trust Battle of the Books at Northshore Park and Youth Center Katgirl at Shake-a-Leg Miami https:\/\/youtu.be\/4BFH5vMROB8 Shake A Leg TV Episode 1 https:\/\/youtu.be\/Ufkr4GLvFRE Shake-A-Leg TV Episode 4 https:\/\/youtu.be\/SpGA22sTjeE Shake-A-Leg TV Episode 5 Katgirl on Blooming Minds Miami podcast Katgirl on Blooming Minds Miami podcast Katherine Magnoli speaking\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Kat talking to kids at Shake-A-Leg Miami","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/katgirlandfriends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/5178943434473366006.jpg?fit=720%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/katgirlandfriends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/5178943434473366006.jpg?fit=720%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/katgirlandfriends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/5178943434473366006.jpg?fit=720%2C720&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/katgirlandfriends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/5178943434473366006.jpg?fit=720%2C720&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24,"url":"https:\/\/katgirlandfriends.com\/?page_id=24","url_meta":{"origin":5,"position":2},"title":"Shop","author":"rbhern","date":"March 25, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"We create stories that promote Inclusion for all Children Each story contains characters and story lines that children can easily relate to. \u00a0Each story deals with a different challenge the character is faced with \u00a0and \u00a0helps the reader realize that they are capabe of anything if they never give up\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/katgirlandfriends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/kat-talking-right.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/katgirlandfriends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/kat-talking-right.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/katgirlandfriends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/kat-talking-right.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/katgirlandfriends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/kat-talking-right.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5610,"url":"https:\/\/katgirlandfriends.com\/?page_id=5610","url_meta":{"origin":5,"position":3},"title":"Family Collaboration Book Project","author":"rbhern","date":"August 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Katherine Magnoli has recently expanded her mission of inclusion for children with disabilities to feel accepted, seen, and heard through literature from writing KatGirl to creating a new book project where she hears your stories! 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