Carden Wyckoff never planned to enter politics. But at 32, she is now the youngest member of the Atlanta City Council, and the only one in a wheelchair.

For Wyckoff, serving the city isn't about politics. It's personal.

"Accessibility is often an afterthought, and it's often not represented," she said.

Born with a form of muscular dystrophy, Wyckoff watched her independence shrink as she grew older. After college, she transitioned to a power wheelchair... a turning point that gave her new purpose. Suddenly, every cracked sidewalk, missing door button and uneven curb stood out.

"I noticed a lot of challenges within the Atlanta area and the community," she said. "Accessibility gets really tricky in a lot of the historic districts where there's cobblestone and pavers and the sidewalks aren't well-maintained. I love the beautiful trees in Atlanta, but the tree roots do cause a lot of issues for reliability and accessibility."

Those daily barriers pushed Wyckoff into advocacy and, soon, public service. She began serving on boards and committees, including Delta Air Lines' accessibility board and Atlanta's ADA sidewalk committee.

So when Atlanta's District 2 councilwoman stepped down, Wyckoff saw the chance to make a change in her own neighborhood.

Now at City Hall, she is working on legislation focused on accessibility, from improved sidewalks and push-to-open doors citywide..

"How can I help is something I often think about," she said. "How can I be of service? How can I create change? How can I leave the world a little bit better than I found it?"

Her term lasts just 100 days, but Wyckoff says every moment is an opportunity to prove that voices like hers belong at the table.

"I am really proud to be a disabled person," she said. "In my city headshot, I wanted to include my wheelchair, because it's a power I have. I want everyone to know that accessibility is a primary goal of my platform."

Wyckoff will serve until December and has not yet decided if she will run for a full term next year.