'Wheelchair warrior' strives to make life easier for individuals with disabilities

"Inside each and every one of us, a warrior waits to be discovered. If you have the courage to let him or her out, you can truly live the life of your dreams."

Known around campus as "the wheelchair warrior," Andrea Murray has campaigned to make life easier for students with disabilities at Purdue University Calumet.

Born with cerebral palsy, Murray says she never has thought of herself as disabled, even when the outcome of a car accident in 1993 left her in a wheelchair.

Murray says she came to Purdue Calumet in 1998, initially, to take a computer course. She stayed to earn an associate degree in communication in 2004 and has continued to pursue a bachelor's degree. She expects to graduate next year.

She attributes her academic progress and success to professors who have worked with her, as well as her own determination and will. "We educate each other," she said.

Murray is president of Hoosier ADAPT of Purdue, a Purdue Calumet student organization that seeks to "empower" students-with or without disabilities-through information and opportunities to make informed choices about their education. She also represents Hoosier ADAPT on the Students Organization Executive Board. In 1993, Murray received the "Above and Beyond Award" for outstanding leadership in ADAPT.

In 1997, Murray graduated from Partners in Policymaking, a program that trains individuals to work with policymakers to promote legislation for people with disabilities.

Murray has led efforts to make life easier for students with disabilities at Purdue Calumet by campaigning to have Braille placed on vending machines and displaying other signage around campus. She was honored in 2005 as Purdue Calumet's Outstanding Leader for Students with Disabilities. She also is the first person in a wheelchair to live in The University Village, Purdue Calumet's new student housing facility.

Murray is employed on campus at the Mentoring Center where she tutors other students with disabilities. "I enjoy helping students with their problems," she said.

"I admire her drive and effort to enhance the lives of students with disabilities on campus," Daniel Dunn, dean of Purdue Calumet's School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and executive dean of the Office of the Graduate School, said.

Murray says she likes being known as 'the wheelchair warrior.' "We are all warriors, because we are constantly changing the world," she said, "Inside each and every one of us, a warrior waits to be discovered. If you have the courage to let him or her out, you can truly live the life of your dreams."