In March 1985, Rick Hansen set out on the Man In Motion World Tour; a 26 month, 34 country, 40,000 km wheelchair marathon to prove the potential of people with disabilities and to make communities more accessible and inclusive. The Tour raised $26 million and changed the way people with disabilities were perceived. When Rick returned, he founded the Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF) in 1988 to keep the dream alive.
For the past three decades, RHF has raised awareness, changed attitudes, and removed barriers for people with disabilities, as well as funded spinal cord injury research and care. Today, we’re working on breaking down one of the biggest barriers that people with disabilities still face: physical barriers in the places where we live, work, learn and play. Because of physical barriers in the built environment, Canadians with disabilities struggle to grab a coffee with a friend or interview for a job - they can’t participate fully in life. We want to change that.
Read the Rick Hansen Foundation 2015-2018 Strategic Plan, which sets out our four year plan to increase awareness, change attitudes and, in the short term, be a catalyst for removing barriers in the built environment. Right now, almost 4 million Canadians report having a disability. By 2036, that number is projected to be more than 9 million. Be a part of our journey to create a country that’s accessible and inclusive for all.
