Hansen’s glove belongs to Canada
Artifact from national icon’s tour around the world is going in museum of history
One wears a glove because one has a job to do, be it digging a hole, fixing a car, keeping hands warm ... or pushing a wheel, millions of times.
Rick Hansen wore gloves to protect his hands as he powered his wheelchair around the world during his Man in Motion tour three decades ago — and now one of those gloves is going to be a museum piece.
The glove isn’t his anymore, Hansen says. Now, it’s Canada’s.
“An incredible honour,” Hansen said over the phone from Ottawa on Sunday, ahead of a Monday ceremony at the Canadian Museum of History, were the crowd included a group of young people gathered by his foundation from across the country for a leadership summit.
Monday was a fitting day for the presentation — it’s the 30th anniversary of the end of Hansen’s two-year tour around the globe. The 59-yearold, who became a paraplegic at the age of 15 after an accident, estimates that on the trip he pushed his wheel through 15 million rotations, give or take a stroke.
Hansen did the work, but he’s always quick to give credit to the team that supported him throughout. The tour raised $26 million for spinal cord research and quality of life initiatives and led to the launch of the Rick Hansen Foundation.
Now it’s time for the gear to get its due.
In a statement, museum president and CEO Mark O’Neill said the museum was “grateful” to add Hansen’s glove to the collection.
“The glove, with its obvious signs of wear, tells the story of Mr. Hansen’s passion and determination to make our country — and the world — a more accessible and inclusive place for everyone,” he said.
“More than that, it represents the admirable perseverance of so many individuals throughout Canadian history who have dedicated themselves to causes they care about.”
When Hansen looks at the 30-yearold glove he sees “the wear and the tear and the effort.”
Hansen said there is still a connection between what he did then, what he’s doing now, how he did and does it, and who he surrounded and continues to surround himself with.
“It’s symbolic of an incredible team,” he said of the collective strength needed to drive achievement.
And there’s the inner strength to get the ball rolling and then to keep it going.
“Any dream comes with grit and determination,” Hansen said.
His story is a pan-Canadian one; the glove isn’t just his, it’s everyone’s, he said.
“It’s about the Canadian dream,” Hansen added. “Canada will become an accessible country. (The glove) is not just a memento, but a symbolic beacon.”
His dream is that, 30 years from now, Canada will have “become fully accessible and inclusive.”
He thinks back on the 30 years that have passed and sees how far Canada has come in its understanding of disabilities. When he started, he said, the conversation was only beginning about disability.
“I felt like a fan at a hockey stadium, trying to get the wave going,” he said.
Today, youth see including the disabled as “a cultural and socio-economic imperative.”
Where once it was a fight to get people to understand inclusivity as a human rights or social justice issue, now it’s an assumption. People see the strive toward equality as part of the essence of Canada, as part of our law.
Children now ask Hanson, “‘What can I do to help?’ ‘Show me where the barriers are?’” he said.
The progress Hansen has seen means he’s more inspired than ever, even more than on the original, 40,000-kilometre tour.
“It shows where we are as a country ... what ultimately defines us as a nation.”
That’s why Hansen hosted this weekend’s summit — “the best,” he said of the 50 young people selected from hundreds of applicants, a diverse group of varying backgrounds and abilities. They toured Rideau Hall. Hansen was recognized by statements and standing ovations in both the Senate and the House of Commons. Hansen went to a Stanley Cup Playoff game and had the youth summit’s story told on the TV broadcast.
In a Sunday workshop, Hansen and the kids shared their stories and lessons.
“I hope to leave them with the sense they can make a difference,” he said. “Small efforts each day can have massive impact.”
When he first started, he felt a little alone. Not anymore. Thirty years in the future, total equality, no matter one’s ability, will be a reality, he said.
On Monday the group was at the ceremony at the museum, where Hansen handed over the glove in the company of his new young friends.
“No one can achieve without buckling down,” he said of the glove’s other lesson.
“It’s a symbol of every person’s perseverance and toil.”