Belong Forum preview: 5 things you should know about Rick Hansen

Rick Hansen has demonstrated time and time again his remarkable dedication to breaking down barriers for individuals with physical disabilities.

Hansen’s quest to create a more inclusive world began when he himself was left without the ability to walk at 15 years old after being involved in a serious truck accident.

Determined to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, Hansen went on to become an award-winning Paralympian and later used his profile to raise millions of dollars for accessibility initiatives and spinal-cord research.

The British Columbian-born activist and founder of the Rick Hansen Foundation will visit campus later this month as the final speaker in Dal’s Belong Forum series — part of the university’s Year of Belonging for its 200th anniversary year. His forum takes place Thursday, Oct. 25 in the McInnes Room in the Dalhousie Student Union Building (6136 University Avenue).

Tickets for Hansen’s Belong Forum are free, but registration is required. RSVP on Eventbrite.

Inspired by the question “What would it take to create a world where we all feel like we truly belong?” the Belong Forums are designed to expand and elevate discussions around diversity and inclusion at Dal and in the broader community. Each features a talk, followed by a question-and-answer period moderated by a journalist from the CBC — Dal’s broadcast sponsor for the Year of Belonging.

If you’re not familiar with Hansen’s story, here are five facts to know ahead of his forum:

He captivated the world when he travelled more than 40,000 KM across 34 countries – in his wheelchair
In March of 1985, Hansen embarked on a journey of global proportions when he pushed his wheelchair out of Vancouver to begin his “Man in Motion World Tour” to raise awareness about spinal-cord injuries and the potential of people with disabilities. The tour got off to a rocky start early on when a crate carrying his extra wheelchair was knocked from the roof of his team’s tour motor home during a tight turn on a highway exit, causing the chair to topple to the ground and smash to pieces.

The setback was followed later that spring with a major win, though, when Canadian musician David Foster and English singer John Parr penned a song called ‘St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)’ inspired by Hansen’s tour. The song shot to the top of the charts and became the tour’s de facto anthem, providing renewed momentum and international attention as Hansen pushed his way across the U.S., Europe, Oceania, and East Asia before arriving back in Canada to wheel across the country and into B.C. in the spring of 1987. Over the course of 26 months, Hansen and his team travelled more than 40,000 kilometres through 34 different countries, raising $26 million in the process.


He won 15 sporting medals and 19 wheelchair marathons in five years
Hansen’s highly successful world tour was preceded by an impressive string of athletic achievements between 1979 and 1984. In 1980, he represented Canada in the Paralympics games, earning a gold medal in the 800-metre race, a silver in the 1,500-metre race and a bronze in the 4x100 relay. Four years later, he returned to compete for Canada, winning gold in the 1500-metre event, gold in the marathon, and silver in the 5000-metre event.

During this period, Hansen also won 19 wheelchair marathons, three world titles and nine medals at the Pan Am Games. He was named Canada’s Disabled Athlete of the Year three times in 1979, 1980, and 1982.

He was the first student with a physical disability to graduate from the University of British Colombia with a degree in Physical Education
Despite sustaining an injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down, Hansen’s dedication to physical fitness grew with each passing year after his accident. He got involved in wheelchair sports shortly after returning home from his rehabilitation on the urging of coaches Bob Redford and Stan Strong, later recruiting Terry Fox to join the Vancouver Cable Cars wheelchair basketball team with him.

But Hansen’s interest in physical fitness also led him to embark on a degree in Physical Education at the University of British Columbia (UBC). In 1986, he became the first person with a physical disability to graduate from UBC with a degree in Physical Education.

He holds 19 honorary degrees and is a Companion of the Order of Canada
In 1987, Hansen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from UBC for his dedication to creating a more accessible world for those living with disabilities. It was the first of a dozen such degrees he has been awarded over the years by a range of Canadian institutions, including the University of Toronto, McMaster University, and the University of Alberta. McGill and Thompson Rivers University have also recognized Hansen as an Honorary Doctor of Letters. Dalhousie will award another honorary doctorate to Hansen during his Belong Forum, which will bring his total to 20.

Hansen was also named by the Governor General as a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1987. The honour is for those who have demonstrated the highest degree of merit to Canada and humanity on either a national or international scale.

The province of British Columbia has dedicated a day to recognize his accomplishments
May 28, 2018 was declared “Rick Hansen Day” in B.C. in honour of the activist’s many contributions to the province. The Rick Hansen Foundation, the charitable organization he established in 1988, was also granted $10 million by the provincial government to improve inclusivity and accessibility of communities. Hansen’s foundation has contributed millions of dollars to spinal-cord research in Canada.