Rick Hansen

At 67 years old, Rick Hansen physical status not available right now. We will update Rick Hansen's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

Hansen is currently president and CEO of the Rick Hansen Foundation, which has generated more than $200 million for spinal cord injury-related programs.

The Hansen Foundation was established in 1988, following the completion of Rick Hansen's Man in Motion World Tour, to continue raising funds and awareness to create a world without barriers for people with disabilities. For nearly 30 years, the Foundation has been actively improving the lives of people with disabilities, changing perceptions and breaking down barriers. The vision of the organization is to create an inclusive world where people with disabilities can reach their full potential. Through programs, collaboration and leadership, the Foundation has increased awareness and solutions for the barriers people with disabilities face, created more accessible spaces, improved the quality of life and health outcomes for people with spinal cord injuries, mobility issues and other disabilities.

In addition, the Foundation operates three major programs. The Rick Hansen School Program is designed for students from grades one to twelve, and teaches inclusiveness, disability awareness and leadership. Meanwhile, an online accessibility-related travel tool and consumer ratings guide called planat was also launched in 2011. The Foundation also provides Quality of Life grants to recipients every year.

During 2011 and 2012, the Foundation was also part of a cross-Canada tour called the Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay that followed the same route as Hansen's original Man in Motion Tour, roughly 25 years after it began.

Hansen was noted as "the driving force" in the development of the 48 million dollars raised for the International Collaboration of Repair Discoveries (ICORD), an information network designed to track and record "best practices" in spinal cord treatment across the country and internationally. ICORD also maintains the Rick Hansen Spinal Cord Injury Registry, allowing doctors and experts across the country to share vital information on what works and what doesn't for specific kinds of spinal cord injuries.

ICORD is located inside the Blusson Spinal Cord Centre, which is also home to the Brenda and David McLean Integrated Spine Clinic, which provides one-stop outpatient care for people with spinal cord injuries or diseases of the spine, as well as the Rick Hansen Institute (formerly the Spinal Cord Injuries Solutions Network).

The building was designed to be fully accessible, with no need to display the wheelchair disability sign, and integrates research with care.

The province has previously contributed $17.25 million to spinal cord injury research and quality of life – $2.25 million to the B.C. Leadership Chair in Spinal Cord Research at the Rick Hansen Institute at UBC and $15 million to the Rick Hansen Foundation in support of its ongoing work to help improve the lives of people with disabilities.

Hansen is a supporter of the conservation of sturgeon. Hansen contributed to the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society with the money earned from the book Tale of the Great White Fish. Additionally, he has served as chair for both Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society and the Pacific Salmon Endowment Fund Society, helping to restore and protect sturgeon and salmon populations in British Columbia.

In 2017, WE Charity and the Rick Hansen Foundation launched a joint venture to advocate for increased accessibility throughout Canada. The initiative was announced as part of WE Day Ottawa, on November 15. The goal of the initiative is to make every building in Canada fully accessible within 30 years. As part of this effort, RHF developed a program to evaluate and promote accessibility across Canada. The program was added to WE Schools curriculum in over 14,500 schools across Canada, the U.S. and the UK.

Hansen has made several on stage appearances at WE Day events, speaking in front of thousands of students about overcoming disabilities and inspiring others to be active in their communities. He also helped WE develop ideas for improved accessibility to their Global Learning Centre in Toronto, which was inaugurated during the same year.

Hansen earned a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1986 from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

Source

• Special Achievement Award, University of British Columbia (1979–1982)
• "Outstanding Athlete of the Year," by Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association (1980)
• Lou Marsh Trophy, auxiliary award of special merit winner (1982)
• Outstanding Young Person of the World for personal improvement and accomplishment by Junior Chamber International (1983)
• University of British Columbia's Alumni Award of Distinction (1983)
• Athlete of the Week: by ABC Wide World of Sports (1983)
• British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame, W.A.C. Bennett Award (1983)
• Newsmaker of the Year by Canadian Press (1986)
• Terry Fox Hall of Fame (1993)
• W.A.C. Bennett Award (BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum) (1994)
• Induction into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (2006)
• Canada's Walk of Fame (2007)
• Recipient of CPA Alberta's Christopher Reeve Award (2007)
• UBC Sports Hall of Fame
• William Van Horne Visionary Award (2006)
• Royal Bank Award (1994)
• University of British Columbia Athletic Hall of Fame (1994)
• People in Motion, a not-for-profit organization was named after Hansen
• Four public schools have been named after Hansen:
  • Rick Hansen Secondary School, Abbotsford, British Columbia
  • Rick Hansen Secondary School, Mississauga, Ontario
  • Rick Hansen Elementary School, London, Ontario
  • Rick Hansen Public School, Aurora, Ontario