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
    • Accessibility Training and Education
      • Professional Training
      • Accessibility Training and Education
      • Tuition Grants
    • APN 2023 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
    • B.C. Accessibility Grants
    Hero
    Passionate about accessibility? We need your help
    Get Involved
  • Schools & Communities
    • Schools and Communities
    • Create an Inclusive School Year
      • Start with Awareness
      • Concentrate on Kindness 
      • Boldly Take Action
    • 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
Hero Meet Christi Budd - The Value of Positive Messages

Meet Christi Budd - The Value of Positive Messages

Breadcrumb

  1. Rick Hansen Foundation
  2. Schools & Communities
  3. Difference Maker Awards
  4. Difference Maker Winners
  5. Currently selected Meet Christi Budd - The Value of Positive Messages

This Difference Maker Knows the Value of Positive Messages 

Christi Budd was five years old when she learned about positive values. That’s the age when she began practicing Chito-Ryu karate, a martial art where students are taught to reach their goals through “peace, perseverance, and hard work.” 

three people in athletic white jumpsuits with belts

Those values became instilled in everything Christi did, from when she taught karate to people of all ages after receiving her brown belt at 14, to when she later became an educator in the public-school system.  

Christi fell in love with instruction after witnessing karate’s transformational effect on students. Their physical and mental development through peaceful conflict resolution, perseverance, and hard work were so inspiring that Christi decided to pursue a career in elementary education. These values played a big part in her work as a learning centre teacher at Fairview Heights elementary school in Halifax, Nova Scotia. So much so that Christi was recognized with a 2021 Rick Hansen Foundation School Program (RHFSP) Difference Maker of the Year Award. 

“I am incredibly excited to have received the [RHFSP] Difference Maker of the Year Award!” she said. “It is a humbling honour as it means the concepts and information I’ve learned have had an impact on the students and adults around me. I entered the profession to work with kids, be a relatable voice and positive presence in the lives of our youth. Youth are our future. As cliché and overused as that statement is, it really is the truth.” 

An Open-Door Policy 

Christi’s passion is building connections with students, along with emphasizing the importance of inclusion and accessibility. She embodies these viewpoints by having an open-door policy at the school – something she learned from her days of teaching karate, where everybody was welcome to come through the doors of the dojo. 

selfie of a woman with short brown hair in a classroom

“I cannot turn away a child!” Christi emphasized. “With the limited resources in public education, I know the importance of connection and relationship-building for our students. I have a caseload of students I work with, but my door is always open for a colleague to pop in for support or another student, who isn’t in my caseload, who knows me from seeing me in the hallways. I am available and accessible to everyone.” 

Accessibility and inclusion have been a decade-long journey for Christi. Like Rick Hansen, she has always believed that youth have the power to change the world for the better. 

“I feel it is crucially important to discuss lived experience of individuals with disabilities, and inclusion through the perspective of disabled and diverse populations of people. Often times, we teach or explain inclusion and accessibility that ‘others’ people when it’s actually the environment that is disabling – not the people,” she said.

“Students are resilient, empathetic and passionate young people. They are observant and often pick up on what is inaccessible far faster than adults as they understand the importance of inclusion for all.” 

A Dream for an Accessible Future 

Christi’s dream is for a seamless community system of accessibility and inclusion, beginning with schools. 

“My goal is to have universally-designed accessibility in all schools. We strive to set students up for success and we teach students what best practices are to the best of our abilities,” she said. “But the work force is not set up the same way for accessibility. I’d love to see a community system where employers are aware and open to addressing these issues. Accessibility isn’t just physical barriers, it’s also having an accessible means of communication and engaging in the work force.” 

Christi believes we can build an accessible Canada through perseverance and hard work. After all, it was these things that paved the way to receiving her black belt in karate when she was 16 and a bronze medal at the Canadian National Championships in 2002. She also saw the effect of those words in the classes she taught during those days. 

“It was fantastic to watch those kiddos who struggled with team sports and school tasks to find their niche by thriving and becoming leaders through martial arts,” she said. “It goes to show what a positive influence can have which is why it’s so important to me to be that person in my school. Being a difference maker means that I am an ally for change. It also means making a difference in accessibility and inclusion through elevating the lived experiences and voices of the people I know, and those I have yet to meet.” 

woman with short brown hair holds up a difference maker award certificate

 

Back to top

The Rick Hansen Foundation School Program
Made possible by the generous support of Scotiabank, the Gordon and Ruth Gooder Charitable Foundation and the Skidmore Foundation.
Gordon and Ruth Gooder Charitable Foundation
 

Learn 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
  • Accessibility Training and Education
    • Professional Training
    • Accessibility Training and Education
    • Tuition Grants
  • APN 2023 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
  • B.C. Accessibility Grants

Schools & Communities - EN

  • Schools and Communities
  • Create an Inclusive School Year
    • Start with Awareness
    • Concentrate on Kindness 
    • Boldly Take Action
  • 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 © 2023 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