Aleksandra Chichikova is the first-ever Miss Wheelchair World and an advocate for the health of women with disabilities. Born in Belarus in 1993, she has been using a wheelchair since a spinal injury in 2011. In 2017, she was crowned Miss Wheelchair World at a pageant held in Poland by the Only One Foundation, which says that every woman can reach her social, career and personal goals whether she uses a wheelchair or not. 

An important part of Aleksandra Chichikova’s life is collaboration with UNFPA, which promotes sexual and reproductive health and rights for women with disabilities ― topics she addressed as a speaker at the global summit on ICPD25, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development. In her work in Belarus, she also partners with public and state medical organizations in order to improve the level of service for women with disabilities. Through her efforts, maternity hospitals have been equipped with gynaecological examination chairs accessible for women using wheelchairs. Aleksandra’s goal is to make people with disabilities less stigmatized and make society treat them as its equal members.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and social pedagogy, works as an IT project manager, and since 2015 has performed in theatre productions addressing social problems.