Rick Hansen

This is the first chair Rick Hansen used on the Tour, and it shows the wear and tear of daily life on the road. It is one of five chairs acquired as part of the collection: three from the Tour itself, and two prototype chairs developed to determine the right frame and fit for Rick Hansen.

Each of Hansen’s Tour wheelchairs was custom-made. Depending on the terrain and weather conditions, members of the Tour crew switched out the wheels and push rims. These adaptations maximized the amount of time Hansen could spend wheeling each day.

Hansen wore this custom-made jacket in cool or wet weather during the Tour. The jacket is adapted for use in a wheelchair, cut higher at the front for ease of movement. Created by Jones Tent and Awning, it is a pioneering example of adaptive clothing for people with disabilities.

In warmer weather, Hansen wore a one-piece wheeling suit. He has said that clothing was one of his greatest allies on the Tour. With the right fit, his clothing allowed him to maximize efficiency and comfort during the 40,000-km Tour.

Amanda (Reid) Hansen wore this jacket during the Tour while working as Rick Hansen’s physiotherapist. He remained injury-free for the duration of the tour, thanks to Reid’s daily care. When Rick and Amanda got engaged during the Tour, they made national headlines.

This large wooden sign was used during the Tour, alerting drivers to Hansen’s presence on the highway.

This vinyl sign was hung from the van and at events to let people know that the Tour was in town.

This suitcase was used as a medical bag by Amanda (Reid) Hansen and other crew members during the Tour. It was packed with anti-inflammatories, bandages and gauze pads, and was refilled over the course of the Tour.

Schoolchildren often created homemade tins to collect loose change in support of the Man In Motion World Tour. This tin was made by children from Nabiac, Australia. A young fan wrapped the outside with a newspaper article about Hansen’s trip to Australia a few years earlier, for the Wang Australian Marathon in Sydney.

Volunteer organizations and service clubs were essential to the Man In Motion World Tour. Across Canada and around the world, clubs came together to help coordinate Hansen’s travel on nearby roads and to organize local fundraisers. Canada’s Kinsmen Clubs were a major supporter. This is one of two jackets they presented to Hansen, bearing pins representing local towns and clubs across the country. The jacket is a testament to the devoted network of volunteers who supported Hansen.

Bobby Orr met with Rick Hansen and Amanda (Reid) Hansen when they travelled through Boston, Massachusetts, in 1985. For Hansen, it was a thrill to meet his childhood hockey hero. Hansen wore the jersey when he wheeled through Orr’s hometown of Parry Sound, Ontario, later in the Tour. Signs of Hansen’s use can be seen on the inner sleeves, which are dirty from contact with his chair’s wheels.

Throughout the Tour, Hansen carried this copy of a statue of Terry Fox in Thunder Bay. It was given to him by Fox’s parents, Betty and Rolly, on the first day of the Tour. Hansen and Terry Fox had been close friends. Hansen had recruited Fox for the Vancouver Cable Cars wheelchair basketball team in the late 1970s. Hansen kept this statuette in his office until he presented it to the Museum.

This sweater was given to Hansen during the Tour. It came with a note that read, “Please wear this with love and appreciation for what you have accomplished and for the thousands who will benefit! God Bless you Rick!” Fans prepared for Hansen’s arrival, in towns and cities everywhere, by making thoughtful gifts like this sweater. The gifts demonstrated Hansen’s impact on the public, who embraced his message of accessibility for all.

This beaded belt is one of the many gifts and tributes Canadians made for Rick Hansen in advance of his arrival in a community. It was given to Hansen by Tom Barnes of Dunnville, Ontario, who wrote simply “Good luck Rick” on the reverse.

This painting of Rick Hansen was given to the Loiselle family after the Tour passed through Halifax in 1986. In vivid blues, it depicts Hansen in front of a ship in Halifax Harbour and is signed “Currie” by the artist. When Hansen returned to Halifax in 2011 for the 25th anniversary of the Tour, the Loiselles gave him this gift and shared the story.

Tour organizers and volunteers worked hard to organize fundraising events in each town Hansen visited. Sometimes, however, fans took matters into their own hands. These custom beer koozies were made to raise money for the Tour. Their creator taped a note inside for Hansen: “Rick, these were made to help support you. They sold VERY well. It’s called a ‘cool it’ (as if you didn’t know). Put it around pop cans or beer. You did an awesome job Rick. Lots of Love.” Objects like this reflect the spontaneous public response to the Tour, as well as the connection Canadians had to Hansen — feeling close enough to him to crack jokes about having a beer.

This commemorative plate was presented to Rick Hansen during his 1986 trip through China. Hansen received a great deal of positive attention in China, helping to raise even greater awareness of the Tour around the world. Amanda (Reid) Hansen remembers that people were fascinated by Rick, because he was a Canadian, and because he was in a wheelchair. Citizens lined the streets for a glimpse of the Tour, and presented Hansen with flowers and other tributes. In China, Hansen realized one of his dreams, which was to wheel along the Great Wall.

David Foster and John Parr co-wrote the hit song “St. Elmo’s Fire” to commemorate the Tour. In August 1985, the song went gold in Canada. Atlantic Records presented Rick Hansen with this commemorative record to mark the achievement. For Hansen, the success of the song was, at times, surreal. In a February 2017 interview he said, “I’ll never forget wheeling into a restaurant in New Zealand, and it was during Christmas time, and the DJ on the radio behind us was saying, ‘And now our latest number one hit is “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion).”’ . . . You can’t plan for those things. It’s amazing.”

Inspired by the Tour, the City of North Vancouver decided to double its number of wheelchair ramps in 1987. Each new concrete ramp was marked with a wheelchair symbol, Hansen’s name and the year 1987. The stamp is a tangible example of the impact Rick Hansen had on people’s thinking about people with disabilities. His message of accessibility for all was simple but powerful.

Prior to the Man In Motion World Tour, Rick Hansen was a celebrated Paralympian and Olympian. He competed in the 1980 and 1984 Paralympic Games and in the 1984 Olympic Games, where wheelchair racing was a demonstration sport. This I.D. tag is a souvenir of his athletic career. It includes a photograph of a young Rick Hansen as well as a locker key.