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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Twenty-five years ago, Canadian Paralympian Rick Hansen skipped the Northwest Territories as he wheeled through 34 countries in 26 months to show the world the capabilities of people with disabilities as part of his original Man in Motion World Tour.

Renowned Paralympic athlete Rick Hansen spoke to students from Dettah and Ndilo at the Chief Drygeese Community Centre in Dettah Monday afternoon. Hansen took a detour from his cross-Canada 25th anniversary Man in Motion relay to spread his message of hope to Northerners. - Galit Rodan/NNSL photo

On Monday, just over halfway through Hansen's 25th anniversary tour retracing the original Canadian segment, Hansen broke from his historical route and made appearances in Yellowknife and Dettah.

The North is a different, more inclusive place now, as evidenced by the fact Hansen was able to enter the Chief Drygeese Community Centre in Dettah via wheelchair ramp.

"Well, I wanted to come back up to the North because 25 years ago it seemed impossible ... to be able to wheel up here in Yellowknife and in the North," said Hansen. "The notion of a person with a disability living in the North is now a reality and we're now continuing to see barriers be removed so that people who happen to have a disability are accepted in their homes, their communities, their families and that they can be successful and productive citizens, just like anyone else."

Hansen has spent a large portion of his life working to remove barriers for people with disabilities and make the world a more inclusive, accessible place.

At the Dettah Community Centre, a group of children from Kaw Tay Whee School in Dettah and K'alemi Dene School in Ndilo, listened as Hansen used examples from his life to inspire them to overcome adversity in their own lives.

Growing up in Williams Lake, B.C., Hansen loved to fish, hunt, camp and hike with his father, grandfather and uncles.

"My whole life revolved around physical activity and the use of my legs," he said.

At age 15, Hansen was hitchhiking home from a fishing trip in the back of a pick-up truck. The driver lost control of his vehicle while turning a corner and, as the truck rolled over, Hansen was thrown back against a big, steel toolbox, he said. He sustained a spinal cord injury that changed his life forever.

"You can imagine how hard that would be when you're at one moment thinking that your whole world is in front of you and ... then all of a sudden something happened to you that you can't control. No matter how hard you try you can't get your legs back."

But Hansen received some advice he continues to pass on in hopes of changing the lives of others. "You can actually overcome your disability by focusing on your attitude," he said.

Hansen went on to become a world-class athlete, winning 19 international wheelchair championships, six Paralympic medals, and participating in the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984.

"I moved from being as low as I could ever imagine to feeling a sense of, like, I was really living a great life. I felt very fortunate and privileged," he told the audience in Dettah.

Hansen's message, however, extends beyond the particularities of his own disability.

"The most important message is a message of hope for all youth especially," he said. "That no matter what their challenges, that they have hopes and dreams, that they can overcome obstacles, they can find support in their friends and families and community and through that ... they can actually make a difference in the lives of others, as well, and they can help make this world a better place."

Hansen said he was impressed with what he saw in the North.

"I look around and I see a lot of incredible young people who are filled with optimism and it gives me great encouragement for the future."

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