Thank-you David Onley

I would like to recognize and thank David Onley, Ontario’s 28th Lieutenant Governor who passed away on January 14th for his service.

It is not often that we see representation of people with disabilities in community and leadership roles. We appreciate the role model Mr. Onley was for the disability community when he was with Citytv and more prominently as the lieutenant-governor for Ontario.

Using a motorized scooter throughout his life after contracting polio as a child he would insist on delivering the Citytv news with his cane or scooter visible, bringing disabilities into the public view and setting the stage for a lifetime of advocacy on accessibility rights for all.

His son said at his father’s funeral Monday that his greatest wish was for all disabled people to have the ability to fully participate in the social, cultural, and economic life of Canada.

When he became lieutenant-governor he discovered that the legislature wasn’t fully accessible. Mr. Onley set about addressing this situation. « He wouldn’t accept temporary accessibility measures, » Jonathan Onley said. « It needed to be permanent. He wanted to ensure all those who came after him had the same access, the same ability to fully participate. »

At ABLE2, we are committed to the same values of inclusion, respect, and dignity for all people with disabilities.

More than 50% of Canadians have a relative living with a disability. In Ottawa, there are 161,445 people living with disabilities. Three quarters of this population has more than one disability and one third are over the age of 65. This marginalized population is diverse in ethnicity, age, and type of disability.

ABLE2’s programs channel the power of compassionate people to provide hope and support to the city’s most vulnerable citizens in several ways.

Please visit the website to learn more about the programs and services.

If you know someone that may need support, please call 613-761-9522. 

Published by

Heather Lacey

Experienced Non-Profit Executive DirectorPublished

Read Heather’s other articles here