12 Leadership Inclusion and Role Models

Progress on accessibility has been hampered by the lack of representation of people with disabilities in positions of leadership, decision-making and influence.  There are, however, many notable exceptions in Canada, a few of whom are listed below:^[1]

Awareness and Advocacy

• Terry Fox – regarded by many to be the greatest Canadian of all time, and certainly among the most famous internationally.
• David Lepofsky – prominent disability rights lawyer and advocate who has played a significant role in advancing the rights of people with disabilities in Canada.
• Rick Hansen – paraplegic athlete and activist who is known for his Man in Motion World Tour, which raised awareness and funds for spinal cord injury research and disability rights.
• Leilani Muir – the first person to file a successful lawsuit against the Alberta government for wrongful sterilization under the Sexual Sterilization Act.

Politics

• Carla Qualtrough – former Paralympic swimmer, currently serves as federal Minister of Employment, Sports and Physical Activity.
• Lucien Bouchard – former Premier of Quebec and federal cabinet minister who underwent an amputation due to necrotizing fasciitis.
• Sam Sullivan – former Mayor of Vancouver, BC MLA living with quadriplegia from a skiing injury. Has also founded numerous non-profits and enterprises.
• Sarah Jama – member of Provincial Parliament of Ontario and co-founder of the Disability Justice Network Ontario.
• Stephanie Cadieux – former BC Cabinet Minister, now Canada’s Chief Accessibility Officer, using a wheelchair since a car accident at the age of 18.
• Stephen Fletcher – the first Member of Parliament in Canadian history with a permanent disability, who also served as an MLA and federal cabinet minister.
• Stephen Harper – the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada, who has dyslexia and has been open about the impact it had on his education and career.

Other Publicly-Appointed Roles

• Beverley McLachlin – the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, who is blind in one eye and has been a strong advocate for the rights of people with disabilities.
• David Onley – activist, lawyer, and broadcaster, and former lieutenant governor of Ontario.

Arts, Culture, Media & Sport

• Michael J. Fox – screen actor who, at 29 years of age, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s who’s advocacy has greatly helped advance research and awareness.
• Robert Davidson – Haida artist who has been recognized for his contributions to the revitalization of Haida art and culture.
• W.O. Mitchell – celebrated Canadian writer, who was blind in his later years but continued to write and publish.
• Rick Mercer – Canadian comedian and political satirist who has cerebral palsy and is a strong advocate for disability rights.
• Josh Dueck – two-time Paralympian alpine skier who served as Chef de Mission at the most recent Olympics in Beijing.
• Syrus Marcus Ware – multi-medium artist and scholar prominently known for co-programming Crip Your World: An Intergalactic Queer/POC Sick and Disabled Extravaganza.
• Chris Dodd – award-winning Deaf actor, playwright, accessibility advocate.

In 2020, Canadian social innovator and activist Al Etmanski published a book highlighting the many diverse contributions of people with disabilities to making the world a far more creative, innovative, and compassionate planet, and distilling these insights into vital lessons for social change and human flourishing in general.^[2]