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Paralympian to Climb 1,776 Stairs in Wheelchair
Jeff Adams is a four-time Paralympian, six-time World
Champion and prior World Record holder in the
1,500m men’s wheelchair event. He is also a two-time
Olympian.Adams was recently appointed vice-chair
to the new Accessibility Advisory Council of Ontario,
Canada. He chaired the Accessibility Committee for
the Toronto 2008 Olympic Bid and was the athlete
representative responsible for ensuring the seamless
process of integrating the Paralympic programme into
the existing able-bodied world of Athletics Canada.
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Driven by situations like being asked to leave a bar in
Toronto, Canada, because his wheelchair was deemed
a “fire hazard”, he has committed himself to breaking
barriers and increasing awareness of accessibility issues.
On September 26 2002, he plans to increase awareness
for creating a barrier-free society, when he will attempt
to climb the 1,776 steps of the CN Tower in a wheelchair.
“Stairs are one of the most obvious, and visual,
of the many barriers to access and because I happen
to live in the same city as the world’s tallest freestanding
structure—the CN Tower—it seemed natural to
use the 1,776 stairs of the CN Tower in Toronto to
raise awareness of these issues,” says Adams.
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Photo: Clint McLean
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Adams will climb the CN Tower in a specially designed
wheelchair, with the hope that his efforts will inspire
others to reach for a new level of understanding and to
raise funds for the development of a School Outreach
Programme which will be developed for fourth grade
students across Canada. The programme will be created
to sensitise grade school children to the abilities of
people with disabilities and the importance of access
for all. The Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled
Persons will receive the funds and manage them.
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