Inspiring Story of Resilience and Disability Advocacy
When Jenna Udenberg was fifteen, her life was defined by severe medical challenges and intense physical pain from Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. She spent much of her time in bed and struggled deeply during that season of life.
Yet, Jenna’s story did not end there. She transformed those difficult experiences into a lifelong mission to inspire others living with disabilities and chronic illness.
Today, Jenna Udenberg is a powerful disability advocate, accessibility educator, and storyteller who continues to challenge perceptions and expand conversations around inclusion.
Inspiring Story of Resilience
Jenna is a former music educator with 19 years of teaching experience. She has used a manual wheelchair since the age of eight and has turned her lived experience into leadership and advocacy.
Her leadership and impact have been recognized through prestigious fellowships and awards, including:
2017 Blandin Foundation Community Leader
2020 Bush Fellow
2025 Shannon Leadership Institute Fellow
Through her newspaper column, Local View from 4’ 2” in the Lake County Press, Jenna shares reflections on disability, community, and life from a seated perspective—inviting readers into vulnerability, empathy, and deeper understanding.
Listen to my interview with Jenna in the video above.
From Hopelessness to Inspiration
In her interview, Jenna shared how she moved from feeling overwhelmed by life-changing circumstances to becoming a voice of hope for others navigating disability and chronic illness.
She explores important questions such as:
Why is “disability” not a bad word?
Why do accessibility and inclusion matter beyond legal requirements like the ADA?
How can we build inclusive communities instead of checklists?
How do people with disabilities overcome daily challenges with creativity and resilience?
Jenna reminds us that disability is not a limitation of worth—it is part of human diversity.
Within My Spokes: A Tapestry of Life, Relationships, and Faith
Within My Spokes is a colorful, heartfelt collection of Jenna Udenberg’s life stories and the relationships that shaped her journey. From her childhood diagnosis at age seven to navigating medical systems, discrimination, and societal misconceptions, Jenna shares deeply personal stories with honesty and grace.
This coming-of-age memoir explores themes of:
Persevering and thriving through unexpected life challenges
The power of friendships and inclusive community
Physical, emotional, and spiritual healing
Faith, purpose, and self-worth
Growth, freedom, and resilience
Readers have laughed, cried, and felt seen through her stories—finding connection through shared experiences of pain, growth, and hope.
Disability Advocacy and Accessibility
Jenna Udenberg grew up on the beautiful North Shore of Lake Superior and continues to advocate for accessibility, inclusion, and disability representation. She works with individuals, organizations, and her nonprofit Above & Beyond With U to create more inclusive spaces and amplify disability voices.
Her work reminds us that disability is not something to fix—it is something to understand, respect, and include.