Skip to content
Menu
  • English Selected
  • Français

 

Header secondary

  • Sign up for eNews
  • Donate

Header

  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Our Programs
    • Leadership Team
    • Board Members and Committees
    • Donors
    • Annual Reports
    • 2021-23 Strategic Plan
    • FAQ
    • Work With Us
    • Contact Us
    • Champion's Circle
    Hero
    Passionate about accessibility? We need your help
    Get Involved
  • About Rick
    • About Rick
    • Rick's Story
    • Man In Motion World Tour
      • Man In Motion World Tour
      • The Dream
      • Tour Timeline
      • Tour Gallery
      • Tour Team
      • 35th Anniversary
    • Rick’s Work and Vision
    • A Conversation with Rick
    • Awards & Honours
    Hero
    Passionate about accessibility? We need your help
    Get Involved
  • Get Involved
    • Get Involved
    • Donate
    • Legacy Giving
    • Fundraise
    • Help make Canada accessible
    • Everyone Everywhere
    • National AccessAbility Week
    Hero
    Passionate about accessibility? We need your help
    Get Involved
  • Become Accessible
    • Become Accessible
    • Rating & Certification 
      • Rating & Certification 
      • Rating Request Form
      • RHFAC FAQ
      • RHFAC v3.0
    • Professional Training
    • Ontario Complimentary Ratings
      • Ontario Complimentary Ratings
      • Complimentary Ratings FAQ
    • Accessibility Conference
    • Accessibility Resources
    • Accessibility Professional Network
      • Accessibility Professional Network
      • FAQ: Accessibility Professional Network
      • Login
      • RHFAC Professional Directory
    • Post an Accessibility Job
    • Accessibility Advisory Services
    • Buildings Without Barriers Challenge
    • Leaders in Accessibility
    Hero
    Passionate about accessibility? We need your help
    Get Involved
  • Schools & Communities
    • Schools and Communities
    • Resource Library
    • Ambassador Presentations
      • Ambassador Presentations
      • Book a Presentation
      • About Our Ambassadors
    • Difference Maker Awards
      • Difference Maker Awards
      • Difference Maker Winners
    • Supplementary Resources
    • Our Partners
    Hero
    Passionate about accessibility? We need your help
    Get Involved
  • News & Stories
    • News & Stories
    • Blog
    • Media Centre
    • Newsletter
    • Disability Reports
    Hero
    Passionate about accessibility? We need your help
    Get Involved
  • Search

Breadcrumb

  1. Rick Hansen Foundation
  2. News & Stories
  3. Blog
  4. Currently selected Ambassador Spotlight: Jim Teneycke

Ambassador Spotlight: Jim Teneycke

Rebecca Blissett By Rebecca Blissett On April 23, 2021 Community Spotlight

Unlike in today’s media landscape, there was nobody for children with disabilities to look up to during the 1970s and 1980s. Jim Teneycke, a child of that era, remembers this well. So well, he recalls the first time he learned of somebody with a disability doing something remarkable. 

Jim’s aunt worked for a news station in British Columbia that covered the Western Canadian leg of the Man In Motion World Tour. It was through media reports that Jim, who has a type of dwarfism called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, quickly came to admire Rick Hansen – the first person with a disability he’d ever seen on television. 

“Back in the day, there weren’t many role models of people with a disability and here was this ultra-cool guy,” said Jim. “To me, the message was ‘I’m doing something pretty amazing, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re able-bodied or disabled.’ I was a big fan.” 

Like Rick, Jim was a boy who loved to move. His mom’s side of the family is from Alberta, so he spent his summers as a youth on the family farm. Nine-year-old Jim explored those wide-open spaces on a three-wheeler All Terrain Cycle (ATC) motorbike. It sparked a life-long passion for off-roading. 

Machines that go places are a love for both Jim and his 16-year-old son Caden, who also has spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita. When not on the backroads near their home on Vancouver Island, father and son get around using Segways – two wheeled, self-balancing personal transporters. 

Driving Awareness Through Education 

It was when Jim became a father of a child with a disability he realized the importance of promoting awareness and education for people with disabilities. He wanted Caden to have an easier time of it than he had. 

Encouraging youth to act on important issues, such as accessibility and inclusion, is the gateway to the development of leadership. This goal is at the heart of the Rick Hansen School Program (RHFSP)’s Ambassadors Presentations.  

Screenshot of a virtual presentation

Jim became an RHFSP Ambassador a few years ago, sometimes joined by Caden for the in-person presentations. Father and son always capture the undivided attention of the class as soon as they both roll through the school doors on their Segways. 

“My son and I are used to attracting attention no matter where we go. Especially when we use our Segways: a little person on a Segway attracts a lot of attention, so [pre-Covid], they are watching as soon as I come through the door,” said Jim.  “And then, they’re curious.” 

Jim admits he over-prepared for his first Ambassador’s presentation, arming himself with loads of facts to field various complicated questions that he’d expected he’d be asked. But, as it turned out, many of the students just wanted to know the ins and outs of daily life, such as how he drives (height modifications) and what he does for work (creative designer). 

“It’s natural for people to be curious, especially kids. The more they’re exposed to somebody with a difference or who has a disability, it breaks the ice, and it becomes a non-issue after a while.” 

One of the other topics Jim touches on during his Ambassadors presentations, now hosted through a virtual platform, is accessibility. He highlights where the world is now, how far we’ve come as a society, and how far we still have to go to ensure everyone can go everywhere. 

“I think accessibility is taken a bit for granted because many young kids don’t realize what it was like for us in the 70s and 80s,” said Jim. “When I introduce them to the progress that we’ve made, I don’t lecture them, but I give them some credit. I tell them their generation has done a lot to make our lives easier and better. And we still have a long way to go.” 

Jim against a white background

A Better World for the Next Generation 

Because disability was out of the public eye while Jim was growing up, he pushed it out of the way of his own life as much as he could. 

“You just want to deal with it but not dwell on it. By the time you’re an adult, you almost don’t want to talk about it because you’ve lived it. You have no need to talk about it,” he recalled. 

That perspective naturally shifted with the arrival of Caden and now the entire family, including Jim’s wife, Tracey, an educator, is part of the mission to build a better world for everyone, everywhere. 

“Once we had Caden, I felt much more of a responsibility and need to spread awareness and help educate. Maybe that’s something that comes with age,” said Jim. “When I was a kid, I got a handle on being disabled. I was much more worried about Caden when he was younger, but he’s older now, and you can really see that his feet are under him. He’s done very well, and I’m not sure whether that was luck or skill as a parent or a bit of both.” 

Included in Jim’s virtual Ambassador presentation is a photograph of him in the school library, wearing a Man in Motion World Tour T-shirt. The photo was taken in 1987 when Jim was in Grade 9. Little did Jim know then that he would, along with his son, also be doing his part to show others the potential of people with disabilities. 

Related articles

Man with light hair who is using a motorized wheelchair next to a plane. He is wearing light pants and a green and grey jacket.
RHFAC Training Allows Rick Watters to Continue Learning About Accessibility
Man with clothes covered in paint standing in front of a large, colourful flower mural.
Becoming an RHFAC Professional Allowed Colin Farnan to Start Addressing Barriers in the Built Environment
Rick Hansen (man with light brown hair) using his wheelchair holding a blue certification sign with a blonde woman who is sitting beside him. They are beside two large banners.
Kristen Habermehl’s Journey to Becoming an RHFAC Professional
Man with black hair and glasses using a wheelchair wearing a bright blue t-shirt sitting in a cafe. He is holding a coffee cup.
Arnold Cheng on His Career Shift and Becoming an RHFAC Professional

About the Author

Rebecca Blissett is the writer for the Rick Hansen Foundation. She has been a storyteller through using the written word and photographs her entire adult life. Her experience in journalism gave her a deep appreciation for telling untold stories, particularly when it comes to people with disabilities. She is happy to be part of the movement to make Canada more accessible and inclusive.

Back to top

Next Story

Reconnecting with A Difference Maker
Rebecca Blissett By Rebecca Blissett
Read More

Stay in Touch

Receive Foundation emails to stay up-to-date on our impact and programs.

Contact Us

1-800-213-2131
info@rickhansen.com

Rick Hansen Foundation
300-3820 Cessna Drive
Richmond, BC
Canada V7B 0A2

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Imagine Canada

The Standards Program Trustmark is a mark of Imagine Canada used under license by the Rick Hansen Foundation.

About Us - EN

  • About Us
  • Our Programs
  • Leadership Team
  • Board Members and Committees
  • Donors
  • Annual Reports
  • 2021-23 Strategic Plan
  • FAQ
  • Work With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Champion's Circle

About Rick - EN

  • About Rick
  • Rick's Story
  • Man In Motion World Tour
    • Man In Motion World Tour
    • The Dream
    • Tour Timeline
    • Tour Gallery
    • Tour Team
    • 35th Anniversary
  • Rick’s Work and Vision
  • A Conversation with Rick
  • Awards & Honours

Get Involved - EN

  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • Legacy Giving
  • Fundraise
  • Help make Canada accessible
  • Everyone Everywhere
  • National AccessAbility Week

Become Accessible - EN

  • Become Accessible
  • Rating & Certification 
    • Rating & Certification 
    • Rating Request Form
    • RHFAC FAQ
    • RHFAC v3.0
  • Professional Training
  • Ontario Complimentary Ratings
    • Ontario Complimentary Ratings
    • Complimentary Ratings FAQ
  • Accessibility Conference
  • Accessibility Resources
  • Accessibility Professional Network
    • Accessibility Professional Network
    • FAQ: Accessibility Professional Network
    • Login
    • RHFAC Professional Directory
  • Post an Accessibility Job
  • Accessibility Advisory Services
  • Buildings Without Barriers Challenge
  • Leaders in Accessibility

Schools & Communities - EN

  • Schools and Communities
  • Resource Library
  • Ambassador Presentations
    • Ambassador Presentations
    • Book a Presentation
    • About Our Ambassadors
  • Difference Maker Awards
    • Difference Maker Awards
    • Difference Maker Winners
  • Supplementary Resources
  • Our Partners

News & Stories - EN

  • News & Stories
  • Blog
  • Media Centre
  • Newsletter
  • Disability Reports

Legal

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Ethical Reporting Policy
  • Complaints Policy
  • Imagine Canada Certification
  • Accessibility Commitment
  • Diversity and Inclusion
Imagine Canada

The Standards Program Trustmark is a mark of Imagine Canada used under license by the Rick Hansen Foundation.

Charitable Registration Number: 10765 9427 RR 0001 © 2022 Rick Hansen Foundation. All Rights Reserved.

Back to Top
Hero

Our programs and initiatives work to create an accessible and inclusive world where people with disabilities can live to their full potential. 

Learn more
Hero

When Rick set out to wheel around the world in 1985, he had three missions: to raise awareness about the potential of people with disabilities, create accessible and inclusive communities, and find a cure.

Read more
Hero

Receive updates from RHF on the impact we’re making for people with disabilities across Canada.

Subscribe
Hero

Have your site rated and certified for meaningful access for people with physical disabilities. Make your community more welcoming and inclusive for all!

Get Started
Hero

Receive free educational resources that teach youth about the importance of access and inclusion.  

Learn more
Hero

Browse the latest stories about access and inclusion from Rick and our team of bloggers. 

Read our Blog