Andy has lived most of his life in a wheelchair. Although doctors predicted he would be in long-term care all his life, he lives at home with his girlfriend, is working towards the completion of his Masters thesis, and is taking in as many live sporting events as possible. Andy's family is not surprised by his success. Studying models of disability and how they have resulted in policies that continue to create barriers for students such as himself, Andy is an ideal spokesperson for the accessibility movement. With a wry sense of humour and a determined spirit, Andy is blazing a trail that challenges the idea of what it means to build a society that is accessible to all.
Directed By: Aidin Nakhai
I thought the background guitar music was especially lame. With my being close with Andy and Amanda, I pretty much got the play-by-play during all the filming. Given all the footage that was taken, I must admit I'm a little disappointed that it was all boiled down to less than 30 minutes worth of a program and approx 5 minutes worth of online content. Did a great job introducing Andy and his family and such but then the last 10 minutes all seemed rather rushed.
When I was in university, there was a lot of awareness about people living with disabilities. The U of S also offered loads of programs and services, which I got involved in. I do feel though that leading up to university, I wasn’t exposed to this. I’m from a small town and there were definitely stereotypes and a lack of knowledge about different kinds of disabilities and the challenges people living with them face.