Rick Hansen’s Post

It was my great pleasure to host Jim Shockey and his guests for an accessible marine experience at the beautiful Steveston Harbour. During our time together, I was also able to share the story of the iconic Fraser River White Sturgeon. They’re an apex species of our ecosystem, who have outlived the dinosaurs and survived two ice ages. By shining a light on this amazing fish, we can recognize how interdependent we are to species like sturgeon. Their relationship to healthy ecosystems translates to the health of humans. We are all connected. #sturgeon #conservation #healthyplanet #accessibility #beautifulbc #catchandrelease #fraserriver

Today, I’m reflecting back on how I spent Canada Day in Williams Lake last year. It was a joy to be invited to be the honorary parade marshall of my hometown’s Canada Day parade. Canada has come a long way in the last 50 years since my accident that led to my spinal cord injury. I’m proud that we live in a country where a First Nation’s Chief, Willie Sellars, a South Asian Mayor, Surinderpal Rathor, and me, a person with a disability can walk side by side in leading the parade. It’s an important symbol that reflects how representation has evolved over the years. I’m also grateful to have been joined by numerous difference makers in this journey – and their presence was reflected in the parade. I feel fortunate to live in Canada, where everyday, we have a chance to work together to make it even better. Together, we can build the Canada that we want, a healthy, accessible and inclusive country where we contribute to and learn from a global society. Happy Canada Day! #CanadaDay #everyoneverywhere #HappyCanadaDay #inclusion #accessibility

Today marks one year since I returned to the site of the fateful accident that led to my spinal cord injury 50 years ago in Williams Lake. It was an emotional experience. One that I’m immensely grateful for. Social change takes time. In reflecting back over 50 years, I see attitudes about people with disabilities have shifted. The demographics have changed. With over 1.3 billion people around the world identifying as living with a disability, it’s truly the world’s largest minority group, and the only one where we will all probably become a part of at some point in our lifetime. While so many barriers have been removed since I was a 15 year old, there is still a hill to climb. I never imagined that my accident would be the beginning of an ultra-marathon of social change. I hope my journey will inspire the next generation to continue to seek out the removal of barriers so that our children and grandchildren can live in a healthy world that is truly inclusive and accessible for all. #accessibility #inclusion #WilliamsLake #everyoneeverywhere #SCI

It was a thrill to be able to participate in the opening of the Harrison Visitor Centre and Sasquatch Museum last week. From the early design phase, they have been committed to making their building accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities. The result is a carefully thought-out space that incorporates the principles of universal and inclusive design throughout. This building scored 91% for its accessibility rating. It’s the first visitors’ museum in B.C. to be rated Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certified gold. Congratulations to Robert Reyerse, former Executive Director of Tourism Harrison for his leadership in turning this dream into a reality, and for joining our movement on accessibility for all! #TourismBC #DestinationBC #accessibility #everyoneeverywhere #HarrisonRiverValley #UniversalDesign

It was lovely to return to one of my hometowns, Abbotsford, to join my namesake school @Rick Hansen Secondary School for their 30th anniversary and to celebrate this year’s 2024 graduates. These graduates are entering a more complex world than the one I found myself in when I graduated from high school. They will need to depend on resiliency, deal with explosive change, challenge their assumptions, while learning to grow and reconcile diverging opinions and perspectives. I hope I was able to offer a dose of hope and inspiration to this next generation of change makers. I encouraged them to celebrate their accomplishments, to continue to chase their dreams, find their purpose in life, and ask themselves how they can make a difference and pay it forward along the way. I also invited them to be mindful of their physical, emotional and spiritual health during these times, it will be the bedrock of strength for their life’s journey. 30 years ago, I was humbled that the school requested to name its intuition after me. Since then, they have honoured my request that if I was to lend my name, that it would be the personification of the accessible, and inclusive academic school community where people with disabilities can fully participate and contribute at all levels. RHSS is the first school in Canada to be rated accessibility certified gold by our RHFAC program, which is now steadily building momentum across Canada and internationally. #graduation #highschool #accessibility #everyoneeverywhere #abbotsford

On my recent travels through to Toronto via YYZ, before boarding my flight, I had a chance to stop by and congratulate the team at Toronto Pearson (Greater Toronto Airports Authority) for achieving Rick Hansen Foundation “Accessibility Certified Gold”. I am grateful to their leadership team for driving continuous progress towards accessibility and inclusion in the built environment.   Toronto Pearson is one of a growing number of airports that are going beyond minimum building codes to make the travel experience for a wide variety of people with disabilities more accessible and inclusive. An accessible airport is a key step towards ensuring a more holistic and positive travel experience for everyone. I hope this growing leadership amongst the cohort of port authorities will inspire others around the world to remove barriers and adopt a movement-based solution and approach to the elimination of barriers for people with disabilities. #Toronto #TorontoPearson #YYZ #RHFAC #Accessibility #EveryoneEverywhere

To fathers everywhere, I wish you a happy Father’s Day! Today, we celebrate the unwavering love, support, and guidance that fathers provide. Though my own father is no longer with us, I remain deeply grateful for everything he did for me and my siblings. His lessons, sacrifices, and enduring love continue to inspire and guide me every day. I also wish to acknowledge my son-in-laws, Aaron and Ryota, thank you for your dedication and for being a source of strength and inspiration to your boys. Enjoy your special day! #FathersDay #Gratitude #FamilyLove #Inspiration

It was wonderful to connect with Jennifer Keesmaat in Toronto this week. Toronto is an incredible hub for housing and infrastructure. Jennifer has been leading the way with her transformational work as an urban planner, entrepreneur and real estate developer. I admire her visionary thinking and collaborative approach to building municipalities that serve everyone in the community. I look forward to continuing the conversation on ways that we can further transform our built environment, so that the places and spaces that we live, work, learn and play can truly be accessible to everyone everywhere.

This week, I was deeply humbled to receive an honorary degree from the University of Waterloo. I like many of the University of Waterloo Faculty of Health graduates arrived here on the backs of my family, friends, role models and teachers, the many people who rallied around and dedicated their lives, passion and talent to contribute to our collective success. It’s inspiring to see the next generation of graduates and know that they can make a difference. Keep going, and never give up on your dreams, anything is possible! During my time at Waterloo, I also had the honour of being a guest speaker for the University of Waterloo's Hallman lecture series. Congratulations to the university on using our RHFAC program to rate and certify a number of their buildings. It was great to connect with members of the University of Waterloo community to discuss deeper collaborations with our Foundation. Together we can achieve even greater progress in removing barriers. Thank you, University of Waterloo, for being such a gracious host!