Meet Becky Ogle
Oct. 2023
By NTI
Becky Ogle is a tenacious disability advocate that refuses to let obstacles stand in her way. Throughout her career she has collaborated with the government, non-profits, and community groups to drive meaningful change and break down barriers for individuals with disabilities. She is also the inspiration behind the Becky Share a Smile Special Edition Barbie Doll who used a wheelchair.
Becky is a strong ally of NTI and has been helping to spread the word about NTI since the beginning. According to MJ Willard, NTI’s CEO, she is the reason we were awarded a contract to run the IRS’s Forms and Publications call center.
In 1999, Becky and MJ went to D.C. to persuade John Dalrymple, Director of Operations at the IRS, to give NTI the AbilityOne contract. This meeting took 4 months to get.
They arrived only to discover that Becky had to use the wheelchair-accessible entrance at the back of the building. This door was rarely used so the guard didn’t have a clipboard to sign her in. The guard asked them to wait while he radioed for someone to bring him a clipboard so he could sign her in.
John Dalrymple had a tight schedule, and if they didn’t arrive within 4 minutes the meeting would have to be
re-scheduled. Becky looked at the guard and said, “We’ll then I guess you’re just going to have to catch me” and she started wheeling fast down the hall. MJ ran after her as the guard chased them while radioing for backup!
Once they arrived at Dalrymple’s office, there was a step and Becky’s wheelchair didn’t climb steps. After finding an accessible conference room down the hall, MJ and Becky thought they could finally explain that accessible jobs were a smart idea for the IRS. That is until four security guards pounded on the door – to check if the Director of Operations had been taken hostage! After the situation was explained, everyone calmed down and they were able to close the deal!
Becky has crashed through many barriers before that and since. NTI and so many others are grateful to have benefited from her gate-crashing talents.
NTI helps Americans with disabilities and their caregivers find at-home employment with free training and job placement services. You can register at www.nticentral.org.