At 10 months old, India Sims was sent to the hospital for a chronic ear infection. A doctor decided to give Sims a spinal tap to help diagnose the infection—but inserted the needle into the wrong part of her back. She soon became partially paralyzed, and suffered from constant fevers and seizures.
Over the next decade, Sims, who was born and raised in Crozet, had over 30 surgeries. Though doctors tried to restore the use of the lower half of her body, her legs and feet were permanently paralyzed. Her family tried to sue the doctor, but were unable to find a lawyer to take their case.
“While I was having surgeries, I dreamed [of] two things: becoming a singer because I used to sing a lot, and I always wanted to own my own shop,” says Sims, a 37-year-old mother of two. “I wanted to be a hairstylist, a massage therapist, an esthetician.”
Now, Sims, a licensed cosmetologist, is working to bring her dream to fruition. By next year, she wants to open her own Charlottesville spa, called NrUnique-Brokenimagination, for disabled people who “want to enjoy a luxury life and not have to worry about certain accommodations,” she says. Sims plans to hire other disabled cosmetologists, and offer a variety of services, including hair, nails, massages, and waxing.
Sims says she faced numerous challenges on her path to becoming a cosmetologist. While a high school student, she says teachers tried to prevent her from enrolling in the cosmetology program at Charlottesville-Albemarle Technical Education Center. However, with help from her mother and an advocate, Simms was eventually able to graduate from the program. She then worked to gain more experience in her field, but often faced difficulties getting hired, or was fired shortly after starting a job—because she was in a wheelchair, she says.
“I would go work for someone. They would love my work and what I can do, but after a while when customers started rolling in, I would come in and they would set my stuff outside and [say], ‘We no longer want your services here. It takes too much space for your chair,’” says Sims.
“I’m tired [of] people telling me I have the job, and I’m sitting around waiting on them, and they’re telling me, ‘Oh, we decided to go with another candidate,’ after they’ve told me they’ve hired me,” she adds.
Sims was inspired to fully pursue her lifelong dream after meeting award-winning artist Mary J. Blige in February. Sims had posted a TikTok video, which included Blige’s song “Good Morning, Gorgeous.” Sims’ account, @1uniquechairgirl, has over 300,000 followers, and features videos about Sims’ life as a disabled person—and that video caught Blige’s attention. Soon, she was invited to have a virtual conversation with the singer on “Good Morning America.”
“[Blige] was the one that was like, ‘India, you are important. I see you [and] what you’re trying to do—do it,’” says Sims.
Sims is currently working to raise $100,000 on GoFundMe for her spa. On October 8, she will also host a pajama party fundraiser at Vault Virginia. Tickets ($20) can be purchased by contacting Sims at iadbuttercup85@gmail.com.
After opening her spa, Sims hopes to franchise the business, allowing other disabled people to own additional locations.
“I just want people to wake up and [know], ‘We are normal. We’re not a liability. We have dreams. We have a life. We have to work just like everybody else,” says Sims.