Raised in Central Alberta, as a child, Murray struggled with ADHD, severe learning disabilities, and bullying, due to childhood trauma, but he has always turned to the Lord for the Lord’s leading and guidance. His difficulties in school taught him to look outside the traditional box of ideas and concepts and often found himself finding solutions to problems that no one else saw because of his unique perspective.
For the past 7 years, Murray has experienced life as a caregiver aiding his wife on her journey as a lower leg amputee due to complications from Type One Diabetes and Spina Bifida. He was able to see how 15 minutes can, as the result of a stroke, change the life-of-the-party person to a person with disabilities that will require the assistance of another person for the rest of her life unless God prevails. His experience has given him a birds-eye view of the many challenges a person with disabilities faces in our communities.
Murray saw that the obstacles were not just physical barriers but often they were attitudinal or due to a general lack of education or technology or just making unsolicited assumptions regarding the needs of a person with disabilities. He knew he wanted to do all that he could to dismantle these barriers and give these people the satisfaction of being equitable members of society.
Recently, Murray completed the training and secured the CSA Group designation of Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™ RHFAC Professional. Combined with his 40-year career in Construction Surveying, his RHFAC Professional designation, and his continued experiences as a caregiver, Murray intends to improve the level of accessibility in the communities of Central Alberta.
Murray is always looking for solutions to help make life a little easier and a little more accessible. This, combined with his experience as a professional motorsports photographer, event-coordinator, and fundraiser, Murray is on a mission to create a more inclusive world with fewer obstacles for all persons with disabilities and empower them to achieve more than they may have even dreamed.