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Rick Hansen

Rick Hansen Man In Motion World Tour Collection

The Canadian Museum of History is proud to announce the acquisition of the Rick Hansen Man In Motion World Tour Collection. Spanning Hansen’s early athletic career and life on Tour, the collection includes 1,700 artifacts, and thousands of behind-the-scenes videos, photographs and documents.

Donated by Rick Hansen to the Museum in May 2020, this important collection reflects the unparalleled achievement of a Canadian hero, and his activism for greater access and inclusion for people with disabilities.

“Great societies become greater when everyone has equal access, is fully engaged, and can realize their potential.” — Rick Hansen

Man In Motion World Tour

In March 1985, Canadian Paralympian and Olympian Rick Hansen set out on a journey that would make history. Hansen’s dream for the Man In Motion Tour was to make the world accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities, and to fund research for a cure for paralysis. After an epic 26-month, 40,000 kilometre journey around the world in his wheelchair, Rick and his team completed the Tour and arrived home in Vancouver on May 22, 1987.

Highlights From the Rick Hansen Man In Motion World Tour Collection

Don’t miss the new special display, Highlights From the Rick Hansen Man In Motion World Tour Collection , exploring how teamwork and public support can inspire global change.

The Collection

The Rick Hansen Man In Motion World Tour Collection contains thousands of artifacts and photographs documenting Hansen’s early athletic career as a Paralympic and Olympic athlete, through to the worldwide Man In Motion World Tour. Click through this album to view highlights from the Collection, including adaptive clothing and equipment custom made for Rick Hansen, objects and materials used on the Tour and gifts received by Hansen from icons like Bobby Orr and other supporters.

The Collection in Photos

This is the first chair Rick Hansen used on the Tour, and it shows the wear and tear of daily life on the road. It is one of five chairs acquired as part of the collection: three from the Tour itself, and two prototype chairs developed to determine the right frame and fit for Rick Hansen.

Each of Hansen’s Tour wheelchairs was custom-made. Depending on the terrain and weather conditions, members of the Tour crew switched out the wheels and push rims. These adaptations maximized the amount of time Hansen could spend wheeling each day.

Hansen wore this custom-made jacket in cool or wet weather during the Tour. The jacket is adapted for use in a wheelchair, cut higher at the front for ease of movement. Created by Jones Tent and Awning, it is a pioneering example of adaptive clothing for people with disabilities.

In warmer weather, Hansen wore a one-piece wheeling suit. He has said that clothing was one of his greatest allies on the Tour. With the right fit, his clothing allowed him to maximize efficiency and comfort during the 40,000-km Tour.

Amanda (Reid) Hansen wore this jacket during the Tour while working as Rick Hansen’s physiotherapist. He remained injury-free for the duration of the tour, thanks to Reid’s daily care. When Rick and Amanda got engaged during the Tour, they made national headlines.

This large wooden sign was used during the Tour, alerting drivers to Hansen’s presence on the highway.

This vinyl sign was hung from the van and at events to let people know that the Tour was in town.

This suitcase was used as a medical bag by Amanda (Reid) Hansen and other crew members during the Tour. It was packed with anti-inflammatories, bandages and gauze pads, and was refilled over the course of the Tour.

Schoolchildren often created homemade tins to collect loose change in support of the Man In Motion World Tour. This tin was made by children from Nabiac, Australia. A young fan wrapped the outside with a newspaper article about Hansen’s trip to Australia a few years earlier, for the Wang Australian Marathon in Sydney.

Volunteer organizations and service clubs were essential to the Man In Motion World Tour. Across Canada and around the world, clubs came together to help coordinate Hansen’s travel on nearby roads and to organize local fundraisers. Canada’s Kinsmen Clubs were a major supporter. This is one of two jackets they presented to Hansen, bearing pins representing local towns and clubs across the country. The jacket is a testament to the devoted network of volunteers who supported Hansen.

Bobby Orr met with Rick Hansen and Amanda (Reid) Hansen when they travelled through Boston, Massachusetts, in 1985. For Hansen, it was a thrill to meet his childhood hockey hero. Hansen wore the jersey when he wheeled through Orr’s hometown of Parry Sound, Ontario, later in the Tour. Signs of Hansen’s use can be seen on the inner sleeves, which are dirty from contact with his chair’s wheels.

Throughout the Tour, Hansen carried this copy of a statue of Terry Fox in Thunder Bay. It was given to him by Fox’s parents, Betty and Rolly, on the first day of the Tour. Hansen and Terry Fox had been close friends. Hansen had recruited Fox for the Vancouver Cable Cars wheelchair basketball team in the late 1970s. Hansen kept this statuette in his office until he presented it to the Museum.

This sweater was given to Hansen during the Tour. It came with a note that read, “Please wear this with love and appreciation for what you have accomplished and for the thousands who will benefit! God Bless you Rick!” Fans prepared for Hansen’s arrival, in towns and cities everywhere, by making thoughtful gifts like this sweater. The gifts demonstrated Hansen’s impact on the public, who embraced his message of accessibility for all.

This beaded belt is one of the many gifts and tributes Canadians made for Rick Hansen in advance of his arrival in a community. It was given to Hansen by Tom Barnes of Dunnville, Ontario, who wrote simply “Good luck Rick” on the reverse.

This painting of Rick Hansen was given to the Loiselle family after the Tour passed through Halifax in 1986. In vivid blues, it depicts Hansen in front of a ship in Halifax Harbour and is signed “Currie” by the artist. When Hansen returned to Halifax in 2011 for the 25th anniversary of the Tour, the Loiselles gave him this gift and shared the story.

Tour organizers and volunteers worked hard to organize fundraising events in each town Hansen visited. Sometimes, however, fans took matters into their own hands. These custom beer koozies were made to raise money for the Tour. Their creator taped a note inside for Hansen: “Rick, these were made to help support you. They sold VERY well. It’s called a ‘cool it’ (as if you didn’t know). Put it around pop cans or beer. You did an awesome job Rick. Lots of Love.” Objects like this reflect the spontaneous public response to the Tour, as well as the connection Canadians had to Hansen — feeling close enough to him to crack jokes about having a beer.

This commemorative plate was presented to Rick Hansen during his 1986 trip through China. Hansen received a great deal of positive attention in China, helping to raise even greater awareness of the Tour around the world. Amanda (Reid) Hansen remembers that people were fascinated by Rick, because he was a Canadian, and because he was in a wheelchair. Citizens lined the streets for a glimpse of the Tour, and presented Hansen with flowers and other tributes. In China, Hansen realized one of his dreams, which was to wheel along the Great Wall.

David Foster and John Parr co-wrote the hit song “St. Elmo’s Fire” to commemorate the Tour. In August 1985, the song went gold in Canada. Atlantic Records presented Rick Hansen with this commemorative record to mark the achievement. For Hansen, the success of the song was, at times, surreal. In a February 2017 interview he said, “I’ll never forget wheeling into a restaurant in New Zealand, and it was during Christmas time, and the DJ on the radio behind us was saying, ‘And now our latest number one hit is “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion).”’ . . . You can’t plan for those things. It’s amazing.”

Inspired by the Tour, the City of North Vancouver decided to double its number of wheelchair ramps in 1987. Each new concrete ramp was marked with a wheelchair symbol, Hansen’s name and the year 1987. The stamp is a tangible example of the impact Rick Hansen had on people’s thinking about people with disabilities. His message of accessibility for all was simple but powerful.

Prior to the Man In Motion World Tour, Rick Hansen was a celebrated Paralympian and Olympian. He competed in the 1980 and 1984 Paralympic Games and in the 1984 Olympic Games, where wheelchair racing was a demonstration sport. This I.D. tag is a souvenir of his athletic career. It includes a photograph of a young Rick Hansen as well as a locker key.

“I am driven by a deep passion and need to make a difference and leave this world a little better than when I arrived. That’s what keeps me going.” — Rick Hansen

An Afternoon With Rick Hansen, May 22, 2020

On May 22, 2020, the Rick Hansen Man In Motion World Tour Collection was officially donated to the Canadian Museum of History during the exclusive online event, An Afternoon With Rick Hansen. In conversation with Dr. Jenny Ellison, Curator of Sports and Leisure at the Museum, Hansen shared behind-the-scenes stories from the Tour, and reflected upon key objects that shaped his journey.

Guests included Hansen’s wife, Amanda (Reid) Hansen, along with video messages from Mark O’Neill, President and CEO, Canadian Museum of History; Darrell Fox, The Terry Fox Research Institute; Nancy Thompson, Home Team and Road Crew, Man in Motion World Tour; John Parr, singer/songwriter of the hit song St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion); The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion.

Do you have photos and stories about the Man In Motion World Tour? Rick Hansen would love to hear from you.

Additional Videos

Mark o’neill, president and ceo, canadian museum of history, darrell fox, the terry fox research institute.

Nancy Thompson, Home Team and Road Crew, Man in Motion World Tour

John Parr, singer/songwriter of the hit song St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)

The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion

Rick Hansen Foundation

For more than three decades, the Rick Hansen Foundation has been dedicated to creating a world that is accessible and inclusive for all, by removing barriers for people with disabilities. Hansen and the Foundation are dedicated to raising awareness, changing attitudes, helping create accessible spaces, and liberating the potential of people with disabilities.

Through his ongoing work as Founder of the Rick Hansen Foundation, Rick Hansen’s dream of creating a world without barriers continues.

Please visit the Rick Hansen Foundation website to learn more about the great work being done to build a more accessible world.

Rick Hansen and the Canadian History Hall

Photo: Courtesy of the Rick Hansen Foundation

In 2017, Rick Hansen donated a glove from the Man in Motion World Tour to the Canadian Museum of History. The glove is now featured in the Canadian History Hall, where it has become a popular draw with visitors from around the world.

Photo at top of page: Rick Hansen crossing the 12,000 mile mark just outside of Kingston, Australia in 1986. Courtesy of the Rick Hansen Foundation

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Rick Hansen

Article by Jeremy Freeborn

Published Online March 24, 2008

Last Edited July 7, 2022

Rick Hansen was the oldest of four children of Joan and Marvin Hansen, a telecommunications worker for BC Tel. He was born in Port Alberni , British Columbia , in 1957.The family soon grew, with the births of Brad, Cindy and Christine. The Hansen family moved several times within British Columbia — to Fort St. John , Abbotsford and Williams Lake — while Rick and his siblings were growing up.

Rick had an active childhood and played volleyball , baseball , softball and basketball . He also enjoyed spending time outdoors and fishing with his father and grandfather.

As a teenager, Hansen excelled at sports and received athlete-of-the-year honours at his high school in Williams Lake in 1973 when he was 15 years old. He was planning on trying out for the provincial volleyball team later that year.

But an accident changed everything. Late in June, Rick and his friend Don Alder went on a week-long fishing trip. On 27 June, they decided to hitchhike home a day early instead of waiting for Don’s father to pick them up. The boys got a ride in the back of a pickup truck, but the driver had been drinking beer and lost control. He eventually drove off the side of the road and rolled his truck. While Don was thrown clear, Rick landed on a big steel toolbox, breaking his back and damaging his spinal cord.

Rick was left a paraplegic after the accident. Paralyzed from the waist down, he spent the next seven months in rehabilitation in Vancouver before returning home to Williams Lake . The transition was tough. While his father had the basement renovated so Hansen could have his own room and bathroom, it was very difficult for Rick to travel in his wheelchair in the town itself. “Mine was the only wheelchair in town, and the town wasn’t geared for it,” recalls Hansen in his book Rick Hansen: Man in Motion. “Wheelchair access was unheard of, and the smallest trip had to end with my being pushed or lifted. People thought my life was over. Worse yet, so did I.”

A New Beginning

Not long after returning to Williams Lake, Hansen was invited to attend a high school volleyball practice by his former coach, Bob Redford, who asked him to assess the players. However, watching his old team was too upsetting for Hansen, and he soon left.

Yet Redford and Jack Burgar, Hansen’s former basketball coach, continued to encourage Hansen to participate in sports from a coaching perspective. He helped train some of the athletes at his high school, including a grade seven girls’ volleyball team. He also played table tennis, and competed against able-bodied competitors at the 1975 Northern BC Winter Games in Fort St. John .

In the spring of 1975, 17-year-old Hansen met Stan Stronge, a leading para-athlete who co-founded the Canadian Wheelchair Sports and Recreation Association in 1967. Stronge encouraged Hansen to compete in table tennis at the Pacific Northwest Games for the Disabled in Seattle, where he won the gold medal.

In September 1976, Hansen enrolled at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver. Although he wanted to study physical education , his application was denied and he enrolled in the Faculty of Arts instead. However, the admissions department reconsidered his request the following year and allowed him to study physical education. In 1986, Hansen became the first person with a physical disability to earn a physical education degree from UBC.

Vancouver Cable Cars and Wheelchair Basketball

In addition to his studies at UBC , Hansen participated in a number of wheelchair sports, including volleyball and basketball. Stan Stronge recruited him for Vancouver Cable Cars, a powerhouse wheelchair basketball team that dominated the national championships in the 1970s and early 1980s. Hansen won multiple championships with the Vancouver Cable Cars and was also a member of the Canadian National Wheelchair Basketball Team from 1977 to 1983.

Hansen’s influence in wheelchair basketball went beyond his performance on the court. In 1983, he became one of the founders and first directors of the BC Wheelchair Basketball Society.He also motivated a young Terry Fox to become involved in wheelchair sports after the amputation of his leg in 1977 due to bone cancer. That year, Hansen invited Fox to play for the Cable Cars. Fox won the national championships with Hansen and the rest of the team in 1978 and 1979 before embarking on his Marathon of Hope in 1980.

Wheelchair Racing

While at university, Hansen also started to participate in wheelchair racing. His first serious racing competition was the 1978 Canadian Games for the Physically Disabled in St. John’s , Newfoundland , where he participated in the men’s 4x100 metre relay. A year later in Vancouver , Hansen competed in his first wheelchair marathon race and finished third.

From 1979 to 1984, Hansen dominated wheelchair racing. He won six medals at the Paralympic Games and 19 International Wheelchair Marathons, including three world championships in wheelchair racing. Hansen also won nine gold medals at the 1982 Pan-American Wheelchair Games in Halifax . He was named Canada’s Disabled Athlete of the Year in 1979, 1980 and 1982 and received the 1983 Lou Marsh Trophy for Canadian Outstanding Athlete of the Year, along with co-recipient Wayne Gretzky .

Paralympic Games Medals

Man In Motion World Tour

Hansen is probably best known for his Man In Motion World Tour, which was inspired by Terry Fox ’s Marathon of Hope in 1980. From 21 March 1985 to 22 May 1987, Hansen wheeled his way over 40,072 kilometres in 34 countries (including Canada), wearing out 160 wheelchair tires and 94 gloves. Hansen’s goal was to encourage communities to become more accessible and inclusive, raise awareness for those with spinal cord injuries and challenge stereotypes faced by those with physical disabilities. On the tour, he raised more than $26 million for spinal cord research, rehabilitation and wheelchair sports.

The tour was a great success within Canada and abroad. International highlights of the tour included a meeting with Pope John Paul II in Italy and a crowd of about 800,000 people cheering him on in Tianjin, China.

The Canadian leg of the tour started in Cape Spear , Newfoundland , on 26 August 1986, with Newfoundlanders donating over $97,000 to his campaign in less than two days. In Ottawa , Hansen met with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney , who gave him a $1 million cheque at Parliament Hill. The people of Alberta donated about $2.45 million to the tour, while the provincial government, led by Alberta Premier Don Getty , matched that amount and donated the funds to The Alberta Paraplegic Foundation, which was established in 1987 partly in response to Hansen’s tour. Similarly, British Columbia Premier Bill Vander Zalm pledged that his government would match donations made by British Columbians and raised over $5.45 million in total.

Hansen finished the tour on 22 May 1987 in Vancouver . The following day, more than 50,000 people attended a celebration at BC Place Stadium.

From 24 August 2011 to 22 May 2012, Hansen went on a 25th-anniversary celebration tour, travelling 12,000 kilometres and visiting 600 Canadian communities.

Rick Hansen Foundation and Rick Hansen Institute

The Rick Hansen Foundation was established in 1988 to fund spinal cord injury research and care and raise awareness, change attitudes and remove barriers for people with disabilities. In addition to awareness programs and accessibility services and grants, the foundation provides funding and support to the International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries (ICORD) and the Rick Hansen Institute.

The Rick Hansen Institute was formed in 2008 through the merger of the Spinal Cord Injury Solutions Alliance, the Rick Hansen Spinal Cord Injury Registry and the Spinal Cord Injury Translational Research Network. The institute’s mandate is to improve the quality of life and treatment for those with spinal cord injuries and reduce the severity of permanent paralysis for those with spinal cord injuries.

Personal Life

On 10 October 1987, Hansen married his physiotherapist, Amanda Reid. They have three daughters: Emma, Alana and Rebecca.

Honours and Awards

• Canada’s Disabled Athlete of the Year (1979, 1980, 1982)
• Lou Marsh Trophy for Canadian Outstanding Athlete of the Year, shared with Wayne Gretzky (1983)
• Outstanding Young Person of the World, Personal Improvement and/or Accomplishment, Junior Chamber International (1987)
• Companion of the Order of Canada (1987)
• Order of British Columbia (1990)
• Ambassador for Peace Award, International Institute for Peace through Tourism (1994)
• BC Wheelchair Sports Male Athlete of the Century (2000)
• Inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame (2006)
• Inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame (2007)
• Received star on Canada’s Walk of Fame (2007)
• Christopher Reeve Award, Canadian Paraplegic Association (Alberta) (2007)

External Links

Rick Hansen Foundation The website for the Rick Hansen Foundation. Features an overview of research into spinal cord injury, an illustrated profile of Rick Hansen, and much more.

Recommended

Steve Fonyo

Wheelchair basketball in canada, terry fox and the development of running prostheses.

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Tour Timeline

With a dream, a trailer, and a passionate team behind him, Rick pushed his wheelchair out of Vancouver, B.C., on March 21, 1985, and set out on a journey that would make history; the Man In Motion World Tour.

Fueled by two big dreams to create awareness of the potential of people with disabilities and the importance of a world without barriers, and to find a cure for paralysis after spinal cord injury, Rick and his team traveled through 34 countries in 26 months, returning to Vancouver on May 22, 1987. The Tour raised $26 million and became a catalyst for enormous change in the way people with disabilities were perceived. Read more about the incredible journey in the Tour Timeline below.

Spring 1985

Places wheeled: Vancouver, BC; Washington; Oregon; California; Arizona; New Mexico; Texas; Louisiana; Mississippi; Alabama; Florida

On March 21, 1985, the Man In Motion World Tour waved an emotional goodbye to the crowd at Oakridge Mall to begin a journey that would take Rick and his team over 40,000 km through 34 countries to raise awareness about the potential of persons with disabilities.

Spring 1985 continued...

The Tour attracts its first national media attention within minutes of its start – but not for the reason the team would have hoped. The large box nailed to the top of the motor home hit the roof of a tight exit tunnel at Oakridge, crashing down and flattening Rick’s only extra wheelchair.

Throughout the US, Rick is averaging 70 miles per day (85 km) and $1 per mile in donations. At that rate, the Tour would raise a whopping $25,000. The team is disappointed. What would it take to draw public attention and support? Turns out a piece of the answer lay in Los Angeles. Inspired by Rick’s story, Canadian musician, David Foster, and English singer, John Parr, compose ‘St Elmo’s Fire’ (Man In Motion). The song goes on to become a chart-topper around the world, and the Tour got its anthem.

For weeks after, Rick wheels in sweltering heat through the desert states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Every mile gets the team closer to Florida – the final stop on phase one of the Tour. On June 24, almost 4,700 miles from the British Columbia/Washington border, the team wheels into Miami, Florida. Through sheer grit and determination, phase one of the Tour was complete.

Summer 1985

Places wheeled: Ireland; Scotland; England; France; Belgium; Netherlands; West Germany; Denmark; Sweden; Norway; Finland; Soviet Union

Heading into London, the team realizes they’d given the police the wrong meeting place and were wheeling into the city’s core during rush hour, without an escort. Not able to find police, they had to be creative. Parking illegally in a ‘No Parking’ area in Hyde Park, the police turned up quickly, and soon the Queen’s own motorcycle escort was blocking off traffic on London Bridge at the height of rush hour to allow Rick to wheel the span of this historic bridge.

Summer 1985 continued...

On July 20, 1985 the team bids farewell to the rainy British Isles, boarded a ferry and headed to France and then on to Belgium, the Netherlands and West Germany. The weather turns warm and sunny for the first time when Rick crosses into Denmark. Waves and smiles greet the team throughout Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The team hits the 7,000-mile mark and celebrates Rick’s 28th birthday in Finland.

Rick and Amanda make a brief trip to Moscow, purportedly a world leader in spinal cord research. A short visit quickly reveals that organized wheelchair sport and rehab for those with spinal cord injuries are not high on the Soviet priority list. After a quick tour of the city, Rick and Amanda head to Poland to re-unite with the team.

Places wheeled: Poland; Czech Republic; Austria; Switzerland; France; Spain; Portugal; Italy; Yugoslavia; Greece; Bahrain; Jordan

The Tour continues throughout the summer throughout Europe.

November 25, 1985, Rick and the team are granted an audience with Pope John Paul. The Pope speaks with Rick about his Tour and about sport for people with a disability, and gives Rick his blessing for a safe journey.

Fall 1985 continued...

After 30 miles of wheeling on the island of Bahrain, the team flies to Jordan. With tensions between Israel and the rest of the Middle East high, Rick heads to the Allenby Bridge, linking Jordan and Israel. While the crossing of the short bridge poses no problems, the symbolism and importance is not lost on Rick. A relatively short trip to the Middle East ends in Tel Aviv where the team prepares for its long flight to New Zealand.

Winter 1986

Places wheeled: New Zealand, Australia

The New Year begins in Australia. Arriving in Australia, the tide turns. Rick and the team reach the halfway point in the Tour in Melbourne: 12,450 miles. For Rick, the symbolism was enormous – he knew if he could wheel half way around the world, he could finish the other half. Passing kangaroos and ostriches, the team finishes the Australian portion of the Tour in Bundaberg. Now one full year into the Tour, the team takes inventory: 63 flat tires; 4 robberies; 47 worn gloves; 7,180,800 wheelchair strokes.

Spring 1986

Places wheeled: China; Korea; Japan

Up next, China. From the moment Rick and the team land in China, the good will and support of the people is evident.

On a hazy, overcast day in Beijing, Rick realizes a dream: wheeling up the Great Wall of China. An incredibly difficult undertaking with grades up to 60 degrees, with his team at his back, Rick slowly makes his way up 103 steps. At the top, Rick and the team are surrounded by enthusiastic supporters, media and tourists.

Spring 1986 continued...

As Rick wheels on to Tianjin en route to Shanghai, he is greeted by crowds of thousands of people yelling and throwing flowers.

Rick finishes this portion of the Tour wheeling through South Korea and Japan. The Tour had been an incredible success - its messages accepted and supported. For Rick, it is in Asia that the Tour had come alive.

Summer 1986

Places wheeled: Florida; Georgia; South Carolina; North Carolina; Virginia; District of Columbia; Maryland; Pennsylvania; New Jersey; New York; Connecticut; Rhode Island; Massachusetts; New Hampshire; Maine; Newfoundland

In the summer of 1986, Rick and the team arrive back in North America and wheel up the East Coast into Canada.

Excitement and anticipation is building for the team’s return to Canada, after more than 17 months and 33 countries. Under sunny skies in Cape Spear, Newfoundland, Rick and the team begin their long journey home.

Places wheeled: Nova Scotia; Prince Edward Island; New Brunswick; Quebec; Ontario

On Friday October 23, Rick wheels across the bridge from Hull, Quebec into Ottawa, Ontario, and onto Parliament Hill. There, with much media fanfare, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney drops a $1 million cheque into a bucket held by Rick. National newspapers report: ‘The $1 million Drop in the Bucket’. The cheque represented needed funds, and the government’s commitment to the Tour and what it stood for.

Fall 1986 continued...

The Tour continues to roll through Ontario and St Elmo’s Fire is playing on the airwaves. 

Places wheeled: Ontario; Manitoba; Saskatchewan; Alberta

A final private highlight for Rick before leaving Ontario is an emotional stop near Thunder Bay, the place where his friend Terry Fox had ended his Marathon of Hope.

Through the cold winter months, Rick wheels across the frigid Prairies, Canadians lining the snowy highways to cheer him on. Alberta Premier Don Getty promises that his government would match all donations made to the Tour in the province – that match ended up being $2.45 million.

Spring 1987

Places wheeled: British Columbia

March 19, 1987, the Man In Motion World Tour crossed into B.C. A scant 2,000 miles stand between Rick and the team, and the finish line in Vancouver. They’re almost home.

A sea of yellow ribbons and balloons meet the team on April 2, 1987 as they wheel into Williams Lake - a hometown welcome. After a day of rest, the Tour continues through Glacier National Park, over the daunting Rogers Pass and finally on to Vancouver.

Spring 1987 continued...

On May 22, 1987, Rick and the entire MIMWT team cross the Port Mann Bridge into Vancouver. Thousands of people gather to greet Rick, lining suburban streets all the way to their final stop, the place they’d decided on over two years prior: Oakridge. An overwhelming experience, the team can barely believe what they had been able to do.

The next day, over 50,000 people gather at BC Place Stadium for a huge celebration. Rick recalls this moment: “It was a warm and wonderful celebration – a meaningful recognition of and commitment to, people with disabilities in our province and our country.”

30th Anniversary Video

Watch Rick’s journey across Canada.

Why wheel around the world?

Meet the amazing group of people that made up the MIMWT team.

Tour Gallery

Browse the archival photos and videos of Rick and the team at various parts in the Tour.

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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., receive updates from rhf on the impact we’re making for people with disabilities across canada., have your site rated and certified for meaningful access for people with physical disabilities. make your community more welcoming and inclusive for all, receive free educational resources that teach youth about the importance of access and inclusion.  , browse the latest stories about access and inclusion from rick and our team of bloggers. .

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Creating a world without barriers

In 1985, Rick Hansen set out on the Man in Motion World Tour; a 26 month, 34 country, 40,000 km wheelchair marathon. The Tour raised $26 million and changed the way people with disabilities were perceived. The Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF), established in 1988, is part of its legacy. For over three decades, RHF has raised awareness, changed attitudes and funded spinal cord injury research and care.

Today, roughly one in five Canadians identify as having a disability, and that number is growing as our population ages. We’re working on breaking down one of the most fundamental barriers that people with disabilities still face: physical barriers in the places where we live, work, learn and play.

Our Mission

To create and deliver innovative solutions that lead to a global movement to remove barriers and liberate the potential of people with disabilities.

An inclusive world where people with disabilities are living to their full potential.

Our Programs

Learn more about RHF programs and initiatives.

Leadership Team

Meet our senior leadership team.

2021-23 Strategic Plan

This plan ensures we will emerge stronger in our ability to remove barriers, accelerate change and fuel the movement to create a world for everyone, everywhere.  

Board Members and Committees

Meet RHF’s board of directors and committee members.

See the donors who are helping make a difference.

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Find answers to our most frequently asked questions.

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Reach out with your questions or comments.

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Our programs and initiatives work to create an accessible and inclusive world where people with disabilities can live to their full potential. 

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., receive updates from rhf on the impact we’re making for people with disabilities across canada., have your site rated and certified for meaningful access for people with physical disabilities. make your community more welcoming and inclusive for all, receive free educational resources that teach youth about the importance of access and inclusion.  , browse the latest stories about access and disability inclusion. .

Rick Hansen to revisit the site of his life-altering vehicle accident 50 years later

The crash on june 27, 1973, left hansen paralyzed from the waist down.

Social Sharing

Rick Hansen, Canada's Man in Motion, has made numerous visits to his hometown of Williams Lake, B.C., over the years, but this one will hold special significance.

This week, Hansen is set to participate in the Williams Lake Stampede Parade, but significantly, he will be revisiting for the first time the road where, 50 years ago, he was involved in the accident that would change his life.

Hansen was just 15 on June 27, 1973, when he and his friend Don Alder hitched a ride on the back of a pickup truck after a coastal fishing trip in Bella Coola, hoping to make it to the Williams Lake Stampede in the B.C. Interior city.

The driver lost control of the vehicle and collided with a tree, ejecting both Hansen and Alder. While Alder managed to walk away from the accident, Hansen didn't.

"[The incident] broke my back and then damaged my spinal cord, and I was told in the hospital a few hours later that I'd never walk again," Hansen, now 65, told host Shelley Joyce on CBC's Daybreak Kamloops reflecting on that fateful day.

• Rick Hansen celebrates 30 years of completing the Man in Motion tour

"I never knew anyone with those spinal cord injuries or disabilities, and so I thought my whole life was shattered along with my spine and all my hopes and dreams gone — I couldn't imagine what life would be like."

However, with the support of his family, friends and coaches, Hansen would emerge from this challenging period in his life even stronger. 

WATCH | Rick Hansen talks about what he's feeling on the 50th anniversary of his world tour:

Rick Hansen returning to hometown of Williams Lake for Man in Motion 50th anniversary

Man in motion world tour.

Having been involved in various sports before the accident, his coaches encouraged him to resume physical activities while using a wheelchair. After completing high school, Hansen enrolled at the University of British Columbia in 1976, becoming the first person with disabilities to graduate from the school with a degree in physical education.

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Three years later, Hansen began to earn a reputation as an athlete. From 1979 to 1984, he achieved remarkable success in wheelchair marathons, earning a total of 15 medals, including six at the Paralympic Games and nine at the Pan Am Games.

However, it was Hansen's Man in Motion World Tour that made him a household name. Over the course of more than two years, he wheeled 40,000 kilometres through 34 countries, raising awareness of people with disabilities and encouraging the creation of more accessible and inclusive environments.

The journey started at Vancouver's Oakridge Mall in March 1985 and ended at Vancouver's B.C. Place Stadium in May 1987.

WATCH | Rick Hansen celebrates 25th anniversary of the conclusion of his Man in Motion World Tour:

Man in Motion

Supportive friend.

Alder, who accompanied Hansen on his two-year global journey, recently released a song titled Won't Be Home , inspired by Hansen's once-in-a-lifetime trip. 

"The song was buried for a long time, but when I came back to it, it just brought up a lot of emotions because there were a lot of tough miles on the road," he told host Margaret Gallagher on CBC's North by Northwest .

WATCH | Don Alder performs his new song,  Won't Be Home

Reflecting on their friendship, Alder shared fond memories of Hansen's unwavering support.

"As a kid, I met him on the basketball court. I was the worst player on the team, and I think he wasn't the best player, but he chose to be the captain of the team.

"He realized that you have to work on the weakest link of the team, so he spent a lot of time trying to get my skills better, versus many other people would ostracize you," he said.

'I would never trade my life for the use of my legs'

Following the conclusion of his global tour, Hansen established the Man in Motion World Tour Society in 1988, later renamed the Rick Hansen Foundation, to support research projects focused on spinal cord injuries.

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Hansen says he's glad to see the positive changes in attitudes toward disabilities and accessibility that have taken place over the years. He says he's seen the perception shift from negativity and pity to positivity and support.

When reflecting on the car accident that altered the course of his life half a century ago, Hansen says he feels a sense of gratitude.

"I would never trade my life for the use of my legs — I have had the greatest opportunity to work hard and to grow and to have a meaningful life that isn't defined by my legs."

Corrections

• An earlier version of this story said Rick Hansen graduated from UBC in 1976. In fact, he enrolled at UBC in 1976. Jun 27, 2023 12:34 PM PT

With files from Daybreak Kamloops and North by Northwest

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Relay Contest

About the relay.

• From Rick Hansen

What a difference 25 years can make!

It was a huge, impossible dream - to circle the globe in a wheelchair - and it began with a single turn of the wheel.

When my team and I set out upon the Man In Motion World Tour, we embarked on a global journey of hope. A hope that we could inspire the world and realize the dream of raising millions of dollars for spinal cord injury (SCI) research, making communities more accessible and inclusive and changing the way we look at the potential of people with disabilities. I hoped to inspire a generation to dream big, and to live with purpose.

This dream is closer to reality today, yet we still have a long road ahead. This is the focus that guides the Rick Hansen Foundation. The people, programs and partnerships that have been put in motion continue to move us closer to a cure for spinal cord injury, and a world that is accessible to everyone.

As we celebrate the anniversary of the Man In Motion World Tour and 25 years of progress, we enter a new phase of growth, discovery and engagement with great momentum and excitement. This is the time to reignite the enthusiasm we all saw in people and communities around the world.

From December 2010 to May 2012, the Rick Hansen Foundation will engage in a variety of activities worldwide to mark this anniversary. This journey will be measured not only by the number of kilometres we travel, but in how we are embraced around the world and across Canada, as we continue to strive to make positive differences in the lives of others.

The Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay

One of the key events commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Man In Motion World Tour is the Rick Hansen Relay which will be held over a nine month period, commencing on August 24, 2011.

Recreating the Canadian portion of the Man In Motion World Tour and visiting hundreds of communities from St. John's, Newfoundland to Vancouver, British Columbia, the Relay will feature thousands of Relay Medal-Bearers donning the 25th Anniversary Relay Medal, a powerful symbol of hope. While our route plans will respect the original Man In Motion World Tour's dates and communities, highlighting the progress made over the past 25 years, one of our goals will be to tell the story of everyday Canadian heroes who are making a difference in their communities, their country and the world

Join the Relay

Enter to win a spot in the Rick Hansen Relay. I am inviting the nation to take up the cause, celebrate the progress that has been made and recognize and inspire a new generation of difference makers to never give up on their dreams and realize that with courage and determination, anything is possible.

Sincerely, Rick Hansen

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Pass it on. And on. And on... Learn about the Rick Hansen Medal – created by the Royal Canadian Mint – and passed on by 7,000 participants across 12,000 kilometres.

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34 countries, 4 continents, 792 days, 40,000 kilometres, 126 flat tires – covering the circumference of the earth: click here to learn about Rick’s original Man In Motion World Tour.

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