Get Out and Play!

The final keynote speaker of the conference was Steve Daniel. Steve was injured in 2005 while serving in the Canadian Armed Forces. He was performing a parachuting training exercise when he landed awkwardly, bursting his T-11 vertebrae and leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. This accident forced him to retire, but also led him to the world of adaptive sport. In 2008 Steve competed in the Summer Paralympic Games in Beijing in arms-only rowing. On a more local level, Steve is now also a coach of the Sudbury Rolling Thunder Wheelchair basketball team. He did not give up after his accident; instead he did not let life get him down and persevered.

Steve began his talk by telling us how he joined the Canadian Armed Forces seeking adventure, and soon found it on tours of duty in Croatia, Bosnia, and Afghanistan. He took pride in his work, and to have his career end at a young age was a tragedy. But he told us he quickly found that sport was one of his new callings and became active in the world of adaptive basketball and rowing. Along his journey, Steve discovered the lack of opportunities for many people with disabilities who want to engage in adaptive sports. There are many barriers which can prevent children and adults who have disabilities from participating in sport; equipment is expensive and can be hard to come by, and playgrounds with adaptive equipment tend to be few and far between. There is also a lack of awareness amongst many people of the availability of adaptive sports in general.

Luckily, things are changing and there are ways for all of us to help. More adaptive equipment is becoming available all the time in playgrounds across the country. Different organizations and councils exist to help bring adaptive equipment to those who need it, and to help with the cost of the equipment. And awareness can be raised by all of us by acknowledging the immense talent of these athletes and their incredible drive to succeed. Organizations such as ParaSport Ontario can even arrange to have athlete and coach ambassadors to share their story and demonstrate paralympic sports in schools, community centres, and many other environments. This is an amazing opportunity for educators to help raise awareness of adaptive sports amongst students, as well as promote physical activity.

Steve’s talk was very inspirational. Since his accident he has gone on to earn a Business Administration Diploma from Cambrian College, has just completed a degree in Physical and Health Education at Laurentian University, and will be starting medical school in the fall. With hard work and perseverance, even in the toughest situations, anything is possible.

For more information on adaptive sport visit ParaSport Ontario and the Canadian Paralympic Committee.


-Josh