TORONTO — David Onley, who emerged as a champion of disability rights both during and after his stint as Ontario's 28th lieutenant-governor, has died. He was 72.
"Whenever Mr. Onley entered a room, those present saw beyond physical limitations. They saw a person they liked and admired," Dowdeswell said in the statement. "So when his trusted voice defined accessibility as that 'which enables people to achieve their full potential' by allowing them to participate meaningfully in social, cultural, and economic life, Ontarians not only heard the words. They saw the essential truth in the embodiment of the person who said them.
Onley used a motorized scooter throughout his life after contracting polio as a child and frequently drew on his lived experience when highlighting existing accessibility barriers in all facets of society. Dowdeswell said he continued to serve as a special adviser on accessibility within the provincial government after leaving office.
At the time the report was released, he told The Canadian Press that disabled residents were barred from full inclusion in the province at nearly every turn, likening some of the barriers they face to long-abolished Jim Crow laws that perpetuated racial discrimination in the United States.