This award is presented for advocacy leadership on behalf of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families, including systemic change, legal advocacy, and professional endeavors that increase the rights of persons with IDD to have inclusive lives.
Andrea M. Leary
Professor Andrea Leary is recognized for her unwavering commitment to bridging the gap between higher education and the intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) community. For more than a decade, her partnership with The Arc Baltimore has extended beyond advocacy into sustained, meaningful action that has reshaped how students understand disability, inclusion, and community.
Her signature initiative, the “One More Question” event, stands as a powerful model for inclusive pedagogy. Through this innovative experience, students collaborate directly with representatives from The Arc—including people with IDD, parents, siblings, and staff—fostering authentic dialogue and mutual learning. This approach ensures that the voices of people with IDD are not simply discussed in academic settings but are actively centered and heard. By creating opportunities for real-world engagement, Professor Leary helps students move beyond theory to develop empathy, cultural competence, and a practical understanding of inclusion.
The student-driven event has evolved significantly since its inception. It began with students partnering with people with disabilities to write testimony for Maryland legislators on pressing issues affecting the disability community. The program later incorporated a screening of the documentary One Question, directed, starring, and produced by people with disabilities, followed by a panel of people with disabilities sharing their lived experiences. In its current format, representatives from The Arc join small groups of eight to ten students at a table for candid, meaningful conversations about life with a disability. The experience has been widely embraced by participants and continues to serve as a lasting model of inclusive engagement.
Through her leadership, hundreds of Loyola students across multiple disciplines — including education, social work, healthcare, and the liberal arts—have gained direct exposure to the perspectives and lived experiences of people with disabilities. In doing so, Professor Leary is shaping future professionals who recognize equity and inclusion not as optional values, but as essential standards in their work and communities. Her sustained commitment has strengthened the connection between higher education and the disability community while advancing a more inclusive future for all.