Rick Hansen Foundation

08/27/2026

🎂Happy Birthday to our Founder, Rick Hansen!

For decades, Rick's courage, optimism, and determination have inspired people to turn awareness into action and barriers into opportunities. His vision continues to guide our work and inspire communities across Canada to create a world where everyone can fully contribute and participate.

As we celebrate his birthday, we're also marking 40 years since the Man In Motion World Tour sparked a movement that changed the conversation around the potential of people with disabilities, accessibility, and inclusion.

From all of us, thank you and Happy Birthday, Rick! 🎊

08/19/2026

🎙️ Have you checked out this amazing conversation with our Founder Rick Hansen yet?

In this alumni UBC (UBC Alumni Association) podcast, Rick reflects on his journey to UBC, sharing how an initial rejection became the motivation to work harder, pursue his goals, and ultimately earn his place at the university.

A powerful reminder that obstacles can become opportunities for growth, determination, and success!

Thank you, Rick, for sharing this story, and thank you to the UBC Alumni community for highlighting this meaningful conversation.

08/12/2026

Congratulations to our Founder, Rick Hansen, on being named UBC’s most famous alum by the alumni UBC community! 🎉

As UBC Magazine shares, the recognition followed six rounds of voting, more than 107,000 votes from UBC graduates in over 70 countries, and a final matchup that reflected the many ways alumni create lasting impact. Rick received 74 percent of the final vote.

The article emphasizes Rick's legacy through the Man In Motion World Tour, which celebrates its 40th anniversary, along with his decades of leadership in accessibility, spinal cord injury awareness, and inclusion across Canada and beyond. We are proud to join in celebrating this recognition and Rick’s enduring impact.

Read more from UBC Magazine:

More than a competition, this initiative celebrated the breadth and diversity of UBC graduates.

08/11/2026

Youth voices belong in global conversations about accessibility and inclusion.
In June, Ainsley Wood, Chair of RHF’s Youth Leadership Committee, represented Canadian youth at the United Nations’ Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in New York City.

With support from RHF, Ainsley joined global discussions on disability inclusion and shared a powerful message: advancing workplace inclusion starts before the workplace, by addressing barriers to support workers, healthcare, accessible housing, and transportation.

Her experience reinforces the role youth voices play in shaping a more accessible world – and the need for diverse perspectives in driving meaningful change.

Read more about her perspective on our latest blog:

Youth voices belong in global conversations about accessibility and inclusion! This June, Ainsley Wood, Chair of RHF’s Youth Leadership Committee, represented Canadian youth at the UN and shared why workplace inclusion starts before the workplace. Her experience reinforces the role youth voices pl...

08/11/2026

Can you imagine spending a day with your hero aboard a fully accessible boat? 🚤🌊

For 10-year-old Oscar, one of Rick Hansen’s biggest fans, that unforgettable moment became a reality. After making a lasting impression on our Founder, Oscar was invited to spend a day on the water aboard Everyone, Everywhere through RHF’s Accessible Outdoor Program (RickHansen.com/Outdoors)

This special experience gave Oscar and his family the opportunity to enjoy an adventure without barriers — a powerful reminder that accessibility creates opportunities for connection, freedom, and belonging!

08/10/2026

To commemorate 40 years since the Man In Motion World Tour, our Founder, Rick Hansen, joined Canada’s Premiers in signing a declaration to advance accessibility and remove barriers for Canadians with disabilities!

🎙️ Listen to his conversation on CBC’s The Early Edition about the Council of the Federation declaration and what it means for breaking down barriers for Canadians with disabilities:

07/28/2026

Exciting news! The Rick Hansen Foundation and the Canadian Paralympic Team are teaming up to advance accessibility, disability inclusion, Para sport, and accessible environments across Canada and beyond.

Together, RHF and CPC will explore opportunities to engage youth, educators, sport leaders, athletes, partners, and communities through education, storytelling, advocacy, and accessibility leadership — helping shift expectations and build a future where more people can access, participate, lead, and belong.

Work is already underway to support stronger accessibility practices within Canada’s sport system and we also plan to work collaboratively with the Americas Paralympic Committee and other partners to strengthen accessibility across major international sport events, contributing to a wider Paralympic Movement that is more accessible, inclusive, and future-ready.

We are confident that together we can help create stronger, more accessible sport and communities for everyone.

Visit the press release to learn more:

07/24/2026

"The future of the National Disability Initiative, I'm very, very excited for," says Working Group member Ben. "I know when it comes to the collaboration, that it will keep growing and growing and growing."

One year into our five-year collaboration, this dedicated coalition of 11 disability organizations has already had a transformational impact on accessibility, movement, interaction and communication for people with disabilities. Share this post and help us build on that momentum as we look to the future of the .

DAWN Canada | Inclusion Canada | March of Dimes Canada | Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN) | Wavefront Centre for Communication Accessibility

07/23/2026

The Rick Hansen Foundation is grateful to the Ontario Government for its investment of $400,000 to support the delivery of the Youth Leadership Summit in Ontario.

This investment will help empower the next generation of young leaders with disabilities and allies with the skills, knowledge, and connections needed to champion accessibility and inclusion in their schools, workplaces, and communities.

As we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Rick Hansen's Man In Motion World Tour, this support reflects a shared commitment to building a future where people with disabilities can fully participate, contribute, and thrive.

Together, we're inspiring young people to lead change and helping create stronger, more accessible communities.

The Youth Leadership Summit will take place in 2027, with applications opening in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for details!

Ontario Investing $400,000 to Support Youth Accessibility Leaders Through Rick Hansen Foundation | Ontario Newsroom

07/22/2026

We're honoured to see Canada’s Premiers come together to advance accessibility across the country in honour of the 40th Anniversary of the Man In Motion World Tour!

As our Founder, Rick Hansen shares, this milestone creates an opportunity to turn commitment into action and build a more accessible and inclusive Canada for everyone.