One Day At A Time actress Santina Muha is a master of all—an actress, writer, improviser, comic, and above all, a storyteller. But most importantly, she is a bold statement in herself.

A tragic and unfortunate car accident in 1989 may have left Muha in a wheelchair, but her story is the farthest thing from pity one can find. She has shown strength and creativity that frankly very few “abled” people can pull off.

Muha got ina Car Crash at the Age of Five

The New Jersey native was just five years old when the accident happened. In an Instagram post from 2018, Muha confirmed that the accident occurred on a bridge in 1989. 

Muha has Conquered Her Disability  

Although her disability is an undeniable fact, it is not something that she identifies with. Muha has gone on-record with Buzzfeed to state that she does not feel as different as people sometimes make her out to be. And for the times that people treat her differently or stare at her because of her wheels, she has “a good bulls*** meter” that goes off in her head. 

“There’s a difference by the way between like ‘I’m staring at you because you’re in a wheelchair,’ or ‘I’m staring at you because I think you look familiar,’ or ‘I’m staring at you because I’m checking you out.’ There’s a difference and I can tell.”

Muha’s success is definitely an inspiration to thousands of people, especially those who struggle with disabilities every day but dare you not label her an “inspiration” because of her disability as she strictly refuses any pity.

Muha is Proud to be Different

The NJ Queen, LA Princess, has also devoted the extensive skillset to change the public perception regarding disability. 

Her 2018 short movie Take It Back, which was written and enacted by Muha herself, is a prime example of her efforts. Take It Back was one of five shorts nominated for Best Film as part of the ‘Easterseals Disability Film Challenge,’ an annual competition in which filmmakers, storytellers, and actors with disabilities come together to make movies that highlight stories about disabilities and provide opportunities for disabled actors.

Almost as if inspired by her own life, the movie features a young woman in a wheelchair who travels back in time to prevent the car accident that landed her in the wheelchair in the first place. But, the journey becomes one of self-reflection instead. By the end, she decides that it’s the other memories that define the person she’s become, not her disability, and she chooses not to change her past.

Not just that, Muha is proud that she is different—an emotion she effectively conveyed in her parody video A$$ Level, where she brags about having her own public bathrooms, premium parking spots, and being carried into clubs by bouncers.

Back in 2015, Muha also did a Buzzfeed interview where she answered questions asked by fans to a woman in a wheelchair. The video is informative yet a fun watch. She even gives a piece of noteworthy advice to young girls in wheelchairs—advice to follow their dreams no matter what.

“I do want you to know that you can have dreams and you can follow those dreams and you may need to make adjustment to those dreams, but don’t assume you can’t do it. You just might have to do it a different way.”

Santina Muha is a living-breathing embodiment of making your success in your own unique way.