May 17, 2010
By Spencer Williams (with added questions by Deacon Jones)
Rick Hansen is best known for completing an epic journey called the Man In Motion World Tour in 1987. He is a natural athlete who won all-star awards in five sports in high school. His first “big dream” was to represent Canada at the Olympics.
An accident shattered his spine but not his spirit or drive. He found ways to continue fishing and stay involved in sports. He didn’t know then that Olympic medals lay in his future, or that he’d spark a sea of change in public attitudes toward people with disabilities. He just knew he was ready to make the most of every opportunity that came his way, and to create opportunities, for himself and others, wherever he saw a need.
In 1976, Rick enrolled in the University of British Columbia and became the first person with a disability to graduate with a Degree in Physical Education.
Rick believes his best work is still in front of him to focus attention on accessibility, inclusion and to remind everyone that when we remove barriers, anything is possible. One of his current projects he talked about is to have a 5 star rating system that reflex’s these ideas
Whenever possible, local communities benefit directly from the funds they raise. “Quality of Life Teams”, made up of local people with Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) and other members of the SCI community, identify individual and community needs in the areas of active living, peer support and leadership and help to develop customized solutions to meet those needs. Funds are then distributed accordingly.
Let’s Play is helping to ensure that young children with physical disabilities have the same opportunities to play as their peers.
Created by the Rick Hansen Foundation in partnership with the Province of British Columbia, Let’s Play has awarded 47 grants to schools, municipalities and community organizations to create accessible play spaces for children ages 0–6 in BC and their caregivers. This funding was made possible by a $2.5 million investment from the Province. Let’s Play is currently operated by the Rick Hansen Institute, a registered charitable organization that strives to minimize disability and maximize quality of life for people with spinal cord injuries. We continue to work to build awareness about the importance of accessible play and related best practices, and to provide tools that support communities in the creation of accessible play spaces.
Q. Spencer Williams: What do you believe the legacy of these Paralympic Games will be?
Rick Hansen: I think the greatest legacy will be the portrayal of the Athletes. People will be blown away by their incredible athletic ability in a world-class competition. Many people will realize just how amazing these athletes are. And I think that will be such a powerful statement to the world about people with disabilities being able to be looked at and treated as equals.
Secondly I think we will see a very significant closing of the gap between the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games. What I mean by that is that in the past there hasn’t been the same organizing committee, and we haven’t heard them called the Olympic and Paralympic Games together, they have been referred to separately. And you’ll see lots of movement towards addressing accessibility. I think a powerful legacy of that is people are going to ask, “What more can we do here locally and what more can we do around the world to make things accessible to everyone?” And that hopefully will be lasting and sustainable and will reflect the way sport mirrors how society perceives its value.
Q. Spencer Williams: It certainly is a goal that is set by the Paralympic Committee.
A. Rick Hansen: Yes it is and they are doing a great job. There’s some guidelines the organizers have now and will be able to move forward with such as a more formal rating system in terms of accessibility for future Games. The Olympic Games and Paralympic Games at the end of the day are all about measuring up, so wouldn’t that be cool at the end of the future games to measure up and rate how they did in terms of accessibility? Because both Games are relevant and you need to make sure that people with disabilities are included as much as board members, volunteers, spectators, staff, visitors, journalists, etc.
Q. Deacon Jones: There are people out there who may have been an Athlete and have had an accident and then have doubts about going back into the athletic world. What would you say to them?
A. Rick Hansen: Well I would just say that if you have a disability to remember what the definition of an Athlete is. Nowhere does it say that you need to use your legs or be able to see or be able to hear in order to be an Athlete. You know the old saying; if you have a body you are an Athlete. And most people that I know have a body so why not?! If you want to play soccer in a power chair or be a curler or do visually impaired downhill skiing, at the end of the day it’s an opportunity. It’s also a choice of how you view it. Do you view it as if you are someone who can’t do it because you don’t do it exactly the same way as someone else? Or do you think, here’s something that I can do to express myself in my own unique way. I always say focus on ability; focus on your own identity and your own expression. You know, it’s all that you have and I don’t think you need to compare it to anyone.
Q. Spencer Williams: How would you compare accessibility in Vancouver to accessibility in a city like Ottawa, for example?
A. Rick Hansen: No comparison. Now, I want to clarify this because we are trying to introduce a formal and more objective rating system to create a more accurate comparison between facilities and maybe even communities and countries. But right now there isn’t one so it’s subjective, it’s all about your own experience. So with that caveat, my subjective experience is that Vancouver is one of the more accessible communities in the world and one would ask why is that? Well first of all it’s a relatively new city and it is growing up rapidly and so when you create new infrastructure you have a better chance of getting it right. Not guaranteed, but at least a better chance. Secondly, there’s been a number of champions here out west that have caught people’s attention and pushed things forward for accessibility and got people to the point of thinking wow, we need to do more. Thirdly, we hosted an international conference called “Independence ‘92” with 100 countries and 3,000 delegates from all over the world. They came here and the Vancouver airport, transportation system, hotels, conference facilities all had to address some level of assessment of where they were in regards to being accessible and on their training of how to deal with people with disabilities. So that was in many ways a big precursor to now hosting the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. You look at the airport and it is rated as one of the more accessible airports in the world. It has received awards internationally. Our transportation system, albeit not perfect, has become way more accessible than it has been in the past. We have a number of advancements that I think are due to those unique circumstances and now with hosting the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games it’s quite an advantage that other parts of Canada haven’t experienced so one would expect that Canada be pretty good in terms of accessibility. But Vancouver has all the reason to be the most accessible city in the country. Are there a lot of more accessible cities in the world than Vancouver? I would guess so but I’d also guess there’s not a lot of them. We’ll probably find that out in the next 5 years.
Q. Deacon Jones: I think personally, having a disability, showing the world that we have a sense of humour about it is really important. It bridges that gap. It helps people who may be uncomfortable with disability or who may not know how to act around someone with a disability.
A. Rick Hansen: Yes, if you can find humour it goes a long way. It can be the best way to address some of our challenges and our stereotypes. You have to use it appropriately and in the right context and time. They say one of the most dangerous things to do is try to cross cultures with humour. But at the same time when you are in a comfortable environment and you don’t know anyone, humour can be a great way to build bridges. I’ll share with you one of my greatest humour experiences dealing with someone with a disability. One of my friends is on a wheelchair basketball team; actually he is a former Paralympian skier named Daniel Wesley. Daniel is a double amputee; he lost both his legs quite a bit above the knee trying to jump a train when he was 12. One day Daniel came out to a practice and he was all covered in paint and I said, “What the heck have you been doing?” And he said, “Oh, I just got a brand new job painting houses. It’s perfect. The employer was getting all these complaints from the guys who had to lean down to paint the bottom part of the house. Now I go around and paint the bottom and they paint the top. It’s perfect!”
And then this guy named Alvin Law a friend of mine who is a DJ from Saskatchewan, he plays drums and he has no arms. He comes up to you and says, Hi I’m Alvin Law and of course you put your hand out to shake his hand and before you realize it he has his foot out of his slipper and he’s got it in your hand shaking it.
Q. Spencer Williams: Do you think London is prepared for the Paralympic Games in 2012?
A. Rick Hansen: All I can say is they better be well prepared after all the bad press they gave us. Now it will be their turn so maybe we should bring out the white gloves and see how they measure up. Joking aside, I’m assuming they will do really well. The UK is the birthplace of many games so they should be pretty accessible however they will have their construction challenges. They’ve got new buildings that will be good but London is a pretty old city.
Q. Spencer Williams: How important is it for the venue to be accessible?
A. Hansen: It’s critical, especially at the Paralympic Games because there’s going to be a greater concentration of people with disabilities than any other circumstance. You’re going to have the Athletes, their Support Staff, spectators and friends, and challenges are going to come in to play. This is going to tax the system. It’s reasonable to expect that not many facilities can be perfect in that environment. So they will have challenges for sure. It is important because you want the people you are trying to serve to have a great experience. So I hope they hit the mark and I know they have tried hard and made a big effort so we will see how it all ends up. In the spirit of positive change, people who do experience challenges can identify them and they can be utilized for the future, for the next games or for that facility later. It’s like a living laboratory.
Q. Spencer Williams: How did you get selected to become one of the Torch Bearers?
A. Rick Hansen: I hope I was chosen because of my Paralympic background as well as having been in the Olympics, and I also hope it’s because I represent the idea of inclusion and accessibility. So I’m assuming it’s because of those factors all combined. When I was ready to go up the ramp to bring the Olympic torch into BC Place Stadium at the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Olympics, I was feeling so grateful for the support of so many people who have touched my life along the way and helped me deal with challenges. There are many who provided support, which ultimately made the difference on the Man in Motion tour. I felt like one of the luckiest guys on the planet because I had been selected not because of who I am but because of who’s touched me and helped me on the way. I was also inspired to realize that my best work may be in front of me still, and I hope that privilege translates into work that will build accessibility and inclusion. That would be my greatest desire.
Inside each torch there is a unique name etched on it and it is the name of the employee who built that torch. What I’m going to do, once I get a minute after the Games are over, I’m going to find out who built mine and write them a note to tell them that their torch came into Olympic stadium and to say thanks.