Ingrid Ioan says her wheelchair is not a disadvantage - just a small bump in the road.
“I don’t see disability as an obstacle,” says the University of Oregon graduate. “It’s a challenge, but something that can be overcome with a little assistance.”
Ioan grew up in Romania under the rule of the communist government. Her country paid a bloody price in the 1989 revolution to move to democracy. It was then Ioan was hit by a stray bullet that left her a paraplegic.
The event was devastating but, as her country rebuilt, the 12-year-old was determined to do the same. That’s where the problems started.
“When I went back to school, they didn’t want me to go to the same school because now I had a disability,” she says.
Wanting to continue her education, Ioan was left with few options. Not one to give up, she studied from home and, in 1994, won a scholarship to study in the United States. There, she found the accessibility she needed to complete her education. …read more
