Twila Adams, a retired U.S. Army non-commissioned officer (NCO), has partnered with Sarasota, Florida-based lift manufacturer Harmar to promote positive, independent lifestyles for wheelchair users. Adams, who was partially paralyzed in a 1994 car accident, has used a Harmar vehicle lift since 2008. Harmar announced the partnership in recognition of Veterans Day.

Adams joined the Army in 1980 and served as an NCO in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. She retired in 1992. In 1994, while she was volunteering for a mobile meals charity, she broke her C4 and C5 vertebrae in a car accident. Doctors told her she would never walk again. Through intense therapy, she’s regained partial use of her arms and right leg. In 2011, she began playing tennis and has since won medals in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. When she’s not on the tennis court, she performs at public speaking engagements.