Andrea Dalzell is an American nurse,

disability rights activist The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all disabled people. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocates, around t ...

, and content creator. Dalzell is the first wheelchair-using registered nurse in the state of New York and advocates for disabled healthcare workers on social media.

Early life and education

Born and raised in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, Dalzell was diagnosed with

transverse myelitis Transverse myelitis (TM) is a rare neurological condition wherein the spinal cord is Inflammation, inflamed. The adjective ''wikt:transverse#Adjective, transverse'' implies that the spinal inflammation (myelitis) extends horizontally throughout ...

at age 5. Throughout childhood, she would alternately use a wheelchair, a walker, and crutches, and started using a wheelchair fulltime by the age of 12. Dalzell earned two degrees, one in biology and one in neuroscience, from the

College of Staten Island The College of Staten Island (CSI) is a public university in Staten Island, New York, United States. It is one of the 11 four-year senior colleges within the City University of New York system. Programs in the liberal arts and sciences and pro ...

. Originally interested in medical school, Dalzell switched to nursing after realizing that "doctors treat the Disease and I never wanted to look at someone as a disease, but as a whole person. Nurses do that and that’s where my mindset shifted to nursing". Dalzell was awarded her

Bachelor of Science in Nursing The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN, BScN) also known in some countries as a Bachelor of Nursing (BN) or Bachelor of Science (BS) with a Major in Nursing is an academic degree in the science and principles of nursing, granted by an accredited ...

and became a

registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a healthcare professional who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized ...

in 2018.

Career and advocacy

After becoming a registered nurse, Dalzell applied to, and was turned down for, 76 different clinical nurse positions. She found work as both a

school nurse School nursing, a specialized practice of public health nursing, protects and promotes student health, facilitates normal development, and advances academic success. School nurses, grounded in ethical and evidence-based practice, bridge the gap b ...

and as a camp health director during this period. In 2020, the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

led to a high demand for nurses, and Dalzell landed a job as an ICU nurse based on her experience with

ventilator A ventilator is a type of breathing apparatus, a class of medical technology that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathi ...

s. Dalzell became the first wheelchair-using registered nurse in the state of New York. Dalzell cites multiple instances of being questioned on her qualification to perform as a clinical nurse, including "professors doubting her capabilities and the constant pressure to prove herself". On social media, she is known as ''The Seated Nurse'', and uses her platform to advocate for disabled healthcare workers. She trains as a boxer to help build her strength for activities such as

CPR Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure used during cardiac or respiratory arrest that involves chest compressions, often combined with artificial ventilation, to preserve brain function and maintain circulation until sp ...

. Dalzell was asked by

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...

to appear in a commercial for the Apple Watch, discussing how the watch has helped her physical training.

Awards and honors

* In 2015, Dalzell won the title of Ms. Wheelchair New York * In 2020, Dalzell received the Craig H. Neilsen Visionary Prize * In 2021, Dalzell was named New Mobility’s Person of the Year

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalzell, Andrea 21st-century American people 21st-century nurses Activists from Brooklyn African-American women nurses American disability rights activists American wheelchair users College of Staten Island alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people