Announcing the Recipients of the 2022 RHFSP Difference Maker of the Year Awards!

Blue background with colourful illustrated people with different abilities. Announcing 2022's Difference Makers! is written in dark blue. The Rick Hansen Foundation and Scotiabank logos are in the top left corner.

Announcing the Recipients of the 2022 RHFSP Difference Maker of the Year Awards! / Annonce des lauréates et des lauréats du prix Personne qui fait une différence de l’année 2022 du PSFRH!

By Mariann Roberts On June 1, 2022 Community Spotlight

Le français suit l'anglais. Passer à la traduction française.

As part of our National AccessAbility Week celebrations, we are very excited to announce the recipients of the 2022 RHFSP Difference Maker of the Year awards! The recipients are students, teachers and community leaders who made positive contributions to inclusion and accessibility for people with physical disabilities during the 2021/2022 school year, either in their school, greater community–or both!

For many years, the Rick Hansen Foundation School Program (RHSFP) has been formally recognizing educators, students and community leaders who actively work towards creating inclusive and accessible communities. This program wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our Co-Presenting Partner, Scotiabank.

Join us in celebrating this year's outstanding recipients:

Jump to:

Student Recipients
Educator and Community Leader Recipients

Student Recipients

Alexis Lewis & Maizie Carter: New Brunswick

Group of five students on a cement path, two are in front and three are behind. One student is using a wheelchair

At Port Elgin Regional School, Alexis and Maizie co-organized, led and participated in a school-wide walk dedicated to raising awareness of the barriers faced by people with disabilities. As the walk progressed, students participated in activities designed to develop their understanding of the need for greater inclusivity and accessibility. 

Liam Isaiah Warrington: Ontario

Young boy holding up a framed Difference Maker award certificate. He is wearing beige shorts and a white T-shirt.

Isaiah actively participates in a new initiative at the Toronto District School Board known as “Be the Change”. Through the initiative, Isaiah has interviewed students and staff at his school to determine how to make the building more inclusive for all. Isaiah also shows others the brilliance of neurodiversity through his lived experience as a person with Autism. 

Lucy Ruth Diaz: British Columbia

Young girl with light skin and shoulder length black curly hair. She is beside a framed Difference Maker certificate that is hanging on the wall. She is wearing a black and white tie-dye hoodie.

Lucy has been making a difference in advocating for accessible washrooms for the last four years, including in the BC Children’s Hospital. She was a previous panel member in a meeting held by Spinal Cord Injury BC, and is a current stakeholder and lived experience advisor in a study by Accessible Parks Canada. She is also a member of Children First Canada’s Young Canadians’ Parliament.

Megan Donesley: British Columbia

Young white girl using a bi ski who is in a pink jacket. An adult white man is standing behind her wearing skis and a blue jacket. They are on top of a snowy mountain.

Inspired by Rick Hansen, Megan is making a difference by using her lived experience to highlight which areas of her community are accessible based on her ability to get around. Megan is working with the Regional District of the South Okanagan to promote accessibility and determine which areas require improved accessibility.

Saheed Alawiye: Alberta

Young boy using a wheelchair and throwing a black medicine ball in the air. He is in a gymnasium.

Saheed, a member of the Calgary Adapted Hub powered by Jumpstart Community Advisory Committee, provides guidance, insight and advocacy for adaptive and inclusive sports and recreation programs for children and youth with disabilities. He helps address barriers to participation and identifies program gaps from a user perspective.  

Educator and Community Leader Recipients

Angela Regush: Saskatchewan

Woman with short red hair holding a framed Different Maker award certificate. She is wearing a pink blazer and standing in front of a sign that says family.

Angela is an educator who is creating change for students and staff at Constable Robin Cameron Education Complex. She has created an environment of inclusion in the grade 5-12 classrooms and often stays after hours to ensure everyone receives the help they need. She also empowers her colleagues to find meaningful solutions to best support students with varying abilities.

Archie Allison: Ontario

Man with short blonde hair wearing a red t-shirt. He is holding a framed Difference Maker of the Year award certificate.

Archie is a youth leader and coach who has dedicated nearly 40 years of his life to inclusion and accessibility advocacy. When the pandemic interrupted many accessibility initiatives, Archie was determined to keep students engaged through interactive, online learning. He continues to inspire students to create their own accessible and inclusive communities.

Daphne Davey: Prince Edward Island

Woman sitting on a brown couch holding a Different Maker Award certificate. She is wearing a white sweater with pink and blue patches.

Daphne has been a driving force behind therapeutic horseback riding in PEI for the past 42 years. She is a founding member and first secretary of the Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association and founded The Joyriders Therapeutic Riding Association in PEI in 1979. Daphne’s commitment creates meaningful experiences for all while demonstrating the potential of people with disabilities. 

Kem Young: Newfoundland and Labrador

Two women standing behind another woman with short blonde hair who is kneeling beside a man who has quadruple amputation.

Kem is making a meaningful difference by removing physical and attitudinal barriers for people with disabilities who are seeking employment opportunities. Under Kem’s management, Green Bay Community Employment Corporation provides supported employment and is raising awareness about the potential of people with disabilities through inclusive and accessible community events.

Scott Kerby: Yukon

Man with white and brown hair holding a Difference Maker award standing outside of F.H. Collins School. He is wearing an orange and navy plaid shirt.

An educator at FH Collins Secondary School, Scott is working to remove barriers both in his school and greater community. He has been on the board of directors for the Challenge Disability Resource Group for 15 years. The organization is currently building a living complex that includes 9 barrier-free units, largely thanks to Scott’s advocacy for accessible housing.

Simone DeGannes: Nunavut

Dark blue circle with a white icon of a person in the middle.

As the principal at Sakku School, Simone prioritizes inclusion and accessibility for students of all abilities. She demonstrates the importance of removing physical and attitudinal barriers and encourages a school environment that celebrates diversity. Simone created numerous inclusive programs at Sakku School, including a pre-braille and braille program and a successful reading program.

Spencer van Vloten: British Columbia

Young adult man with light hair hold a framed difference maker award. He is sitting in front of trees with green leaves.

Spencer is enabling youth with physical disabilities to have their voices heard as part of the City of Vancouver’s accessibility consultation process. He is also the creator of BCDisability.com, a platform that provides info for youth with disabilities and their families. Spencer also helped convince the City of Vancouver to proclaim October as Community Inclusion Month.

Tracy Gervais and Elly Pahl: Manitoba

Split photo. On the left, a woman with brown hair is helping a young student at a table. On the right, a blonde woman wearing a mask is holding up Winnipeg Jets pillows.

Tracy and Elly are a teacher and educational assistant (EA) team who make inclusion and accessibility a priority in their classroom. The pair regularly adjusts lessons to support students with varying disabilities, creating meaningful experiences for all. Through their actions, Tracy and Elly enable their students to become difference makers themselves.

Véronique Messier: Quebec

Woman wearing a grey t-shirt smiling. She has dark brown hair in a ponytail.

 As the first physical education teacher at École Madeleine-Bergeron, Véronique motivates students and encourages participation by adapting lessons to be inclusive and accessible. She is involved in wheelchair basketball with the Bulldogs de Québec and spends time on Saturdays training with the older students at the school. Véronique teaches students the potential of people with disabilities.

With difference makers like these, together we will create a world for everyone, everywhere. Learn more about the RHFSP Difference Maker of the Year awards and past recipients here.

La traduction française commence:

Dans le cadre de notre célébration à l’occasion de la Semaine nationale de l’accessibilité, nous sommes très heureux d’annoncer le nom des lauréates et des lauréats des prix Personne qui fait la différence de l’année 2022 du PSFRH! Les personnes lauréates sont des élèves, des éducatrices, des éducateurs et des leaders communautaires qui ont apporté des contributions positives à l’inclusion et à l’accessibilité des personnes ayant un handicap physique d’un océan à l’autre au cours de l’année scolaire 2021-2022, et ce, à leur école, dans la communauté ou les deux!

Depuis de nombreuses années, le Programme scolaire de la Fondation Rick Hansen (PSFRH) rend officiellement hommage aux éducatrices, éducateurs, élèves et leaders communautaires qui travaillent activement à la création de communautés inclusives et accessibles. Ce programme ne serait pas possible sans le généreux soutien de notre partenaire principal, la Banque Scotia.

Joignez-vous à nous pour rendre hommage aux lauréates et lauréats exceptionnels de cette année:

Élèves

Alexis Lewis et Maizie Carter: Nouveau-Brunswick

À l’école Port Elgin Regional School, Alexis et Maizie ont co-organisé et dirigé une marche à l’échelle de l’école, à laquelle elles ont aussi participé, visant à sensibiliser aux obstacles auxquels sont confrontées les personnes ayant un handicap. Tout au long de la marche, les élèves ont participé à des activités destinées à développer leur compréhension de la nécessité d’une plus grande inclusion et accessibilité. 