What has changed for people with disabilities? Where are we today? And what can the next generation do to create a more accessible and inclusive Canada? The Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF) School Program is inviting students across Canada to explore those questions through its 2026-2027 Ambassador presentations, centred on this year's theme, "Then, Now, Next."
Fifteen RHF Ambassadors are available to speak with Kindergarten to Grade 12 students across Canada, sharing their lived experiences of disability and engaging young people in conversations about accessibility, inclusion and the role they can play in creating change.
Through "Then, Now, Next," students will explore how attitudes, environments and opportunities for people with disabilities have evolved, consider the barriers that continue to exist today, and imagine what accessibility and disability inclusion could look like in the future.
"Every Ambassador brings a unique story and perspective into the classroom, helping students understand how experiences of disability and accessibility have changed over time," said Laura McBride, Senior Director, Awareness at the Rick Hansen Foundation. "Through Then, Now, Next,' we want students to see that progress doesn't just happen around them--they can be part of it. By listening, asking questions and taking action in their own schools and communities, young people can help shape a future that is more accessible and inclusive for everyone."
Presentations connect Rick Hansen's own "then, now, next" story with the personal experiences of RHF Ambassadors. By looking at what has changed and what barriers remain, students are encouraged to consider their own role in creating change in their classrooms, schools and communities.
As part of the RHF School Program, RHF Ambassadors are people with lived experience of disability who bring learning beyond the textbook and into the classroom through personal storytelling and open conversation. Their presentations give students an opportunity to learn directly from people with disabilities, ask questions and gain a greater understanding of the experiences of the one in four Canadians living with a disability.
Ambassadors share diverse experiences, including disabilities affecting mobility, vision and hearing. By making a personal connection with students, they can help challenge assumptions about disability while encouraging greater awareness, understanding and inclusion. The presentations also encourage students to look at the environments they encounter every day. What barriers might exist in their classroom or school? How have things improved from the past? What still needs to change? And what actions can students take to help make their communities more accessible?
Adds McBride, "The goal is to move students from learning about accessibility to recognizing that they can be part of what happens next."
New for the 2026-2027 school year, teachers at both the elementary and secondary levels will have access to pre- and post-presentation activities through the RHF School Program online resource library. The activities are designed to extend learning beyond the Ambassador visit, helping educators introduce key concepts before the presentation and continue the conversation afterwards.
Through these resources, students can further explore accessibility, disability inclusion, compassion and empathy while identifying practical ways to apply what they have learned. Together, the Ambassador presentations and accompanying activities provide educators with tools to turn a personal classroom experience into continued learning and action.
RHF Ambassador presentations are available virtually in English or French and are offered free of charge to schools across Canada. Free presentations are made possible thanks to the generous support of The Gooder Foundation, The Hearn Family Foundation, Scotiabank and The Slaight Family Foundation.
For more information or to book an RHF Ambassador presentation, visit RickHansen.com/Ambassadors. Ambassadors are selected by the RHF School Program based on specific requests, availability and timing.
Meet the 2025/2026 RHF School Program Ambassadors:
Laura McKenzie (ON) is a mother of two who found herself paralyzed from the chest down with a spinal cord injury in January 2023. In the years since, she has developed a unique perspective of being able to view life with and without a disability. Becoming disabled has been completely life-changing and she can't wait to grow and learn and share her story with everyone.
Darda Sales, PHD, PLY (ON) is a three-time Paralympic swimmer, one-time Paralympic wheelchair basketball player, and dual sport World Champion. She has gone on to acquire over thirteen years of experience as a swim coach and co-founded the Intro to Para Swimming program with the London Aquatic Club in Ontario. Darda completed a PhD in para-athlete development and now provides consulting services to provincial and national sports organizations. With the Rick Hansen Foundation, she now shares her insights with students, staff and educators to create more inclusive and accessible classrooms and communities.
Bernard (Ben) Akuoko (ON) is a Ghanaian-Canadian multidisciplinary thought leader, digital creator, entertainer, and advocate living with Retinitis Pigmentosa. His work lives at the intersection of music, storytelling, culture, identity, and social impact, shaped by his lived experience as a Black man navigating disability and creativity. He is the founder of Brightside Scope, a platform dedicated to empowering racialized individuals and people with disabilities while amplifying marginalized voices through public speaking, digital creation, consulting, workshops and media appearances. A registered social worker with a Social Service Worker diploma, a Bachelor of Social Work, and a Master of Social Work, Ben brings both professional insight and lived experience into his work. As a professional side quester, Ben embraces curiosity and creativity beyond traditional paths -- from storytelling and music to media and movement. He is also a former host of the podcast The Lens: Living Diverse, which highlights stories and perspectives from individuals and communities living with blindness or low vision. Ben believes diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility must be embedded within culture, media, and society, and continues to use his voice to inspire others to be seen, valued, and heard.
Jenna Reed-Côté (BC) was born with spina bifida which involves some degree of paralysis in her legs and she is grateful she can use a wheelchair to get around to be independent.bShe has earned her third degree black belt in karate and has two national records in para powerlifting. In fact, Jenna was in the process of training to be a Paralympian as a para powerlifter but had to retire that dream due to barriers created by a world that wasn't designed with disability in mind. Jenna received her Master of Social Work degree and has become a disability-affirmative therapist to be the practitioner she needed growing up.
Bean Gill (AB) is an Indo-Canadian woman who has lived through many adversities. After being paralyzed by a virus in 2012, she found her purpose and co-founded ReYu Paralysis Recovery Centre, helping hundreds of Canadians reconnect their brain to their body, retrain their nervous system and most importantly redefine what is possible for people with disabilities. Her recent project is CBC's docuseries called PUSH, available on CBC Gem.
Oda Al-anizi (ON) is a speaker, content creator, and accessibility advocate based in Toronto who sustained a spinal cord injury at age 11. He works as an Information & Resource Specialist at Spinal Cord Injury Ontario and channels his lived experience by creating funny, educational videos on Instagram documenting life as a wheelchair user. A dedicated community leader and disability advocate, Oda is proudly the vice president of Able Sail Toronto and serves on the boards of both StopGap and the TTC's Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit.
Lauren Pires (ON) is a keynote and TEDx speaker on resilience, joy and belonging. Named #2 Inspirational Speaker of the Year in North America's largest inspirational speaking competition (Speaker Slam, 2023), recognized globally as a D-30 Disability Impact List honoree (Diversability, 2024) and the only Invisible Disabilities Association Ambassador in Canada, Lauren was born with Central Core Disease, a rare neuromuscular disorder. Although she lives with 33% of the physical strength of the average person, Lauren is known for her yay-saying and 100% spirit.
Emily De Boer (BC) is a disabled interdisciplinary artist investigating the connection between the built environment and excluded bodies. Constructing playful, interactive installations, she reappropriates barriers using blocks as a repeated motif. Her practice-based research relies on iterative processes to construct limitless installations that prove the power of the collective, despite the form of the individual. Bolstered by queer and crip theory, she builds worlds that reflect the ubiquity of abnormality. Emily's artwork and activism reject the hostile exclusion of the built environment and instead offer alternatives, in pursuit of liberated bodyminds. Emily is a former member of Team BC, and the Women's National Para Ice Hockey team. She earned the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification through the University of Alberta in 2025, a BFA in Critical and Cultural Practices in 2022, and an MFA from Emily Carr University of Art + Design in 2024.
Kuen Tang (AB) is based in Edmonton, Alberta, with her husband and sons, Kuen (Quinn) Tang is living proof that a spinal cord injury and a wheelchair are no match for pure ambition. Before becoming a mom, a spinal cord injury rerouted her life, but it certainly didn't slow her down -- if anything, it just gave her wheels. Since then, Kuen has casually conquered everything from lettering acclaimed comic books to testing sports limits and tackling mind-boggling hiking expeditions that would leave most people begging for a couch.
Martin Leduc (QC) is a McGill law student, dual-licensed pilot, and youth mentor navigating the world with hearing loss. A longtime instructor with the Cadets, he earned both his glider and power wings through the program, discovering firsthand the grit required to defy perceived limits. Whether in the cockpit, the classroom, or in his community, Martin combines humour, lived experience, and drive to connect with students and challenge assumptions.
Erica Scarff (ON) is a Paralympic athlete from Mississauga, Ontario. She has competed in Paracanoeing at both the 2016 and 2024 Paralympic games as well as at 9 world championships. Childhood cancer led Erica to have one leg amputated, and despite that being a setback, she found ways to remain active. She enjoys swimming, cycling and alpine skiing. Erica's journey reminds us that through the power of inclusion, sport and movement can be accessible for everyone.
Marjorie Aunos, Ph.D. (QC) is a researcher, speaker, and consultant on accessibility and inclusion. She teaches organizations and educators to solution-find and build environments that are accessible, inclusive, and welcoming to young families with disabilities. Her TEDx talk "What we can learn from disabled parents" was viewed over 50,000 times in the first week.
Paulo Guerrero (BC) is a 25-year-old living in Vancouver, BC. Paulo is an avid cyclist and motorcyclist but after hitting a parked car, he was paralyzed from the chest down. Since his accident , he spends time in the gym, training for athletics or working on building a future. "Everything is so temporary, so make the most of today."
Robert Hampson (ON) loves exploring the city of Toronto, where he lives with his guide dog Spokane. When Robert was four 4 years old, he learned to adapt to a world without sight. Robert shares with students the importance of kindness, overcoming adversity, as well as the importance of an inclusive and accessible world. "Never tell me something is impossible. I think if you want to do a thing badly enough you can find a way. When somebody tells me I can't, it usually makes me want to do it even more."
Jessica Kruger (BC) was an active teenager who played basketball and softball, and she dreamed of a profession where she could help people or animals. One summer, she fell off a ladder, leaving her with quadriplegia. She soon realized that people in wheelchairs could do all the same things as anyone else, just in a different way. Jessica graduated from Simon Fraser University with an English degree, and in 2019 started her own custom dessert business, "The Stubborn Baker". She also plays on the BC Wheelchair Rugby Team. "Through positivity, hard work and determination, any challenge can be overcome."
For more information or to book a presentation, please visit RickHansen.com/Ambassadors.
For more information
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