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"My dream is of a province where disability rights are advanced, not only for those with classically defined physical disabilities, but also for those so-called invisible disabilities," former broadcaster David Onley said Wednesday as he was sworn in as Ontario's 28th lieutenant-governor.

Mr. Onley, 57, had polio as a child and is paralyzed from the waist down.

He entered the Ontario Legislature by driving his motorized scooter down a newly renovated access ramp to the basement-level cafeteria and then took the elevator to the chamber on the second floor for the official swearing-in ceremony, The Globe's Karen Howlett reported today in her article Onley to focus on computer literacy for natives

Mr. Onley was followed into the chamber by his wife, Ruth Ann, and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and his wife, Terri.

He paid special tribute to CITY-TV founder Moses Znaimer, who was in the audience and who gave him his first on-air job in 1984 as a weather specialist, allowing him to become a role model for the disabled.

"It sent a message to TV viewers everywhere that my physical shortcomings were irrelevant," he said. "What counted was my ability to do the job."

Mr. Onley is a long-time advocate for the disabled, The Globe's Viriginia Galt reported in her recent article A viceregal push for better access

Ms. Galt quotes Mr. Onley as saying: For all the new standards requiring workplaces to be more accessible and for all the new adaptive technology to assist the hearing-impaired, the visually-impaired and those with mobility issues, employment prospects for Canadians with disabilities have hardly improved in the past two decades.

His message is fairly simple: It doesn't take a lot for either employers or co-workers to create more inclusive and accessible workplaces. He aims to fight for better accessibility in the workplace and beyond.

"We have to be willing to see the ability, and not the disability, and in so doing, it becomes possible to change lives for the better."

We are very pleased that Mr. Onley was online Thursday to take your questions on his new job, the challenges it poses and the challenges he has overcome to get there.

Join the Conversation or submit a comment. Your questions and Mr. Onley's answers appear at the bottom of this page when the discussion begins.

"David Onley is a respected author, broadcaster and tireless champion for persons with disabilities," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said when he announced the appointment.

"Through this work, he has demonstrated the qualities needed for such an important position."

In 1996, he received the Clarke Institute's Courage to Come Back award and in 1997 he was inducted into the Terry Fox Hall of Fame.

He was also awarded the King Clancy Award for Disabled Persons and remains active with the Canadian Foundation for Physical Disabled Persons, the Ontario March of Dimes, and Variety Village.

Mr. Onley is the best-selling author of Shuttle: A Shattering Novel of Disaster in Space.

He and his wife Ruth Ann have three sons: Jonathan, Robert and Michael.

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Virginia Galt, Globe and Mail: Congratulations on your appointment, Lt.-Gov. Onley, and thank you so much for joining us today. It is a privilege to have you as our guest on globeandmail.com to answer questions from our readers.

It is clear from the comments you made when you were sworn in Wednesday that you intend to fight for accessibility in the broadest sense of the word -- accessibility for people with disabilities, access to the Internet for children in remote native communities, and access to greater opportunities for low-income people.

What do you have in mind? And how do you plan to accomplish these goals, given that you must rely primarily on the power of persuasion?

David Onley: Virginia, first of all, it's a real pleasure to be with you online.

I would support that accomplishing the goals outlined in my Installation Speech in fact does rely on the power of persuasion. I also believe it is fundamental that if we are to come to grips with the problem of disability rights that we have to understand what it is we have to accomplish.

On the technical and legal side of things there are the many issues raised within the context of the AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians for Disabilities Act.) The Act, of course, was passed in 2005 and passed unanimously by the Legislature. So it enjoys broad-based, non-partisan support.

Regardless which party forms the next government, I know that support will continue. Part of the success of the AODA depends on the operations of the Accessibility Standards Advisory Council, which I had the privilege to chair, until my appointment as Lieutenant Governor.

The Council is composed of people from a wide variety of disabilities, backgrounds and professions. I know that all of us who served on the Council understand that the countless rules and regulations and different standards as they apply to employment and transportation, to name just two, are going to have to be addressed, line-by-line, in terms of the rules and regulations that exist throughout provincial legislation in all of the different municipalities.

So this is going to be the difficult part going forward over the next 18 years, the lifetime of the Act. My job, as I see it, is to talk to all of the stakeholders and employers throughout the Province on how the definition of accessibility is that which enables someone to achieve their potential.

Jack Robinson, London, Ont: Mr. Onley, your appointment as lieutenant-governor is the second piece of encouraging news that I, along with too-many thousands of disabled individuals have had recently -- the other being the federal government's establishment of a National Mental Health Council in response to the landmark 'Moving Into the Light' senatorial report.

As a 58-year-old, once 'successful' achiever who has had his life's potential derailed by the onset of major depression eleven years ago, I choose not to use this forum to tirade against issues of social stigma; employment and re-education barriers; or the cynically chronic under-funding of community support agencies that have served to undermine -- and in many cases destroy -- the dreams and aspirations of my myriad kindred peers.

Instead, I wish to congratulate you on your success and offer my sincerest hope that you are indeed 'The Real Deal'... and not another pre-election mirage.

David Onley: Jack, thank you very kindly for your candour and honesty. I assure you that I am the "real deal".

There's no mirage here, as I, of course, was not elected, but appointed by the Prime Minister. In my letter of application to him, I outlined most of the content that I used in my installation speech and that is my mandate.

Thank you, and good luck

R. Comisso, Toronto: Congratulations again. Can you tell me the first change you'd like to make in terms of disability issues, besides making the legislature more accessible?

David Onley: Thank you for the congratulations. I believe I have begun to make the first change, and that is the practical re-definition of the word "accessibility."

I don't wish to belabour this, but I fundamentally believe that words are very, very important.

In this case, the word "accessibility" has come to mean "wheelchair parking spots", "curb cuts", and automatic doors.

And while it is all of these things, it is much, much more. Accessibility, quite frankly, is a right. And that is why I believe we need to start using the term in its complete and full meaning. And it is that which allows someone to achieve their full potential.

A disabled person in a wheelchair, who cannot get into a place of employment because of a single step that blocks their wheelchair, cannot achieve their potential. That same person, at that same work place, where the step has been replaced by a ramp can then achieve their potential

So, accessibility has to be seen with that full meaning, so that the person at the company who is in charge of making modifications isn't looking at the issue as just whether or not "to make it easy for wheelchairs to get in here," but looks at the skill set of the person in that wheelchair, and realizes all those skills and all those abilities can be fully utilized if they simply put in the ramp

Keith Marnoch, Milton, Ont.: I've worked in the media and in government -- in fact, I started as an intern at CITY-TV on the day of the Challenger disaster in January 1986...

David (Your Honour) was a little busy that day. I doubt that you would remember me, but every other time we spoke or crossed paths from that day forward, you freely offered me only positive encouragement and sage advice.

My sense always was that you treated everyone with the same regard no matter who they were, and that you were one of those genuine people who were the same on the air or in person. That is something I have carried with me throughout my career/ life and tried to emulate. So - thanks.

That said, I have a strong sense that you are exactly the type of person to occupy the office of the L-G in Ontario. Your battle to overcome polio and your subsequent achievements despite that battle have been well documented and certainly shaped - or perhaps clarifed for others - the type of person you are.

Are there other important issues that you would like to influence during your term? Best of luck to you.

David Onley: First of all, Keith, thank you for your very kind words, and I hope our paths will cross again going forward.

I think you are right, but my battle to overcome polio has definitely shaped my personality, the type of person I am.

I also think whatever it is we experience shapes our outlook and our approach to life.

In terms of other issues, beyond accessibility, which I have been discussing, I also want to develop the concept of role models and mentoring.

As I said in my Installation Speech, you don't have to be famous or well known to be a role model, you ARE a role model for the person you touch or you influence.

As well, I am very excited about both the Aboriginal Youth Literacy Initiative, and the new computer component to the initiative.

Mr. Bartleman has left a tremendous legacy changing lives of all the Aboriginal children in Ontario's far north, with the various book programs.

But, in today's world, it's absolutely critical that students be computer literate. I believe before my term of office is over that every single Aboriginal child in the far north will have a computer at their desk in their school.

Many interested potential stakeholders have already come forward and spoken to me personally, and I know that this is going to succeed.

Anonymous newswatcher, Toronto: Dear Mr. Onley, I am very pleased to be able to communicate my fondest wishes for your greatest success and luck in overcoming employment and volunteering barriers for people who have suffered and overcome OR continue to suffer from setbacks related to misperceptions about people with mental illnesses.

A great deal of setbacks in relation to this have occurred in the area of volunteering agencies, schools and public sector jobs (police, fireman, ambulance etc.), for instance.

It is a tragic and completely false and illogical misperception of society that people who have fought and survived a mental illness could not serve the community in well-respected and stable professions such as police, fire, medical and other areas (including military service).

Holding people back and not allowing them to aspire and dream to all that they can be is the true crime of our current monopoly of power in Ontario.

Everybody loses: the community loses experienced and possibly very knowledgeable people, the economy loses an experienced and productive person and the individual loses hands-on experience, an opportunity to hone their skills, heal and rejoin and be a part of society in a way that is meaningful to them.

If Ontario is facing a crisis in an influx of new workers to replace future retiring baby-boomers, it doesn't have to look farther than lack of tolerance that public sector organizations like the police, education and medical centres display towards individuals by knocking them down right out of the gate with screening, blocking procedures that make a mockery of individual rights and respect for anybody who is different.

I hope some day that human beings will come around to the damage and injury that such practices result in. This is our province and our future. We make it what it is. If we choose to make it a cruel place bereft of respect and dignity for each other, then we forfeit not only the quality of life of others, but also the quality of life for ourselves. Any thoughts?

David Onley: Your words are very eloquent. I understand why different organizations in our litigious society have to be consistent and vigilant in terms of avoiding liability.

At the same time, I think we also need to be equally aware of individuals' rights and that when someone is capable of providing a bona fide service, that they have the opportunity to do so.

Emma Hawthorne, Canada: Employers could tap a potential gold mine by hiring persons with challenges who may be very appreciative of the opportunity and willing to offer loyalty and longer years of service than others might.

There is a tremendous upside to hiring the challenged that makes good corporate sense, even from merely a business perspective.

David Onley: Dear Emma, I agree with you 100 per cent and, in fact, I'm going to quote your comments verbatim, in future speeches

It's instructive to know that Canada's major banks have made, and are continuing to make, enormous progress, not only in making more and more branches increasingly accessible, but also in aggressively hiring people with disabilities.

They are doing this, I believe, because they think it's right (which it is), but also because it simply makes good business sense.

The majority of the population has some form of disability. Our aging population is experiencing more and more disability related issues.

Combine this with the aging boomer population, and you have a huge portion of the general public who are increasingly encountering disability issues.

Those companies who wisely choose to hire more people with disabilities, so that they themselves have greater insight as to what is happening in their marketplace, are going to be financially rewarded. Those who don't are going to be left behind.

M Crow, London: I am disabled with a chronic disorder. I am also a Section 56 card holder. Medical marijuana has helped me to regain mobility, quells my seizures, and lessens pain.

I write for my compatriots who aren't fortunate in securing a 56 card. I just got my supply.

For months there was nothing. I backslid healthwise horribly. We used to have a Compassion Society in London. I was able to get clean,effective, medication. It turned my life around.

For the first time in 7 years I picked up a paint brush and got back into art. I've hardly been at the studio for 2 months now. I'm just beginning to get back to my near normal since I now have my supply.

I feel awful for the wonderful, hurting, people I met at the society. They have no place for help. Their doctors won't fill out the 56 forms. There hasn't been any decent street weed or even bad street weed around. They are suffering.

The only thing that helps, they are being denied. I curled up and couldn't care about anything from pain. I know that's what many of them have to be going through.

It's lousy being disabled, worse being unable and further powerless accessing what is for some the only option left. I can't take conventional medicine. I can't imagine what my state of mind would be if I hadn't known that my supply was coming.

I was going mad from pain, my friends are suffering. Medical marijuana has a place. It shouldn't be politicized. The Compassion Societies are a must. . . There are so many afflictions that conventional medicine falls short. For those who need it there are no options. Please help

David Onley: First of all, thank you for sharing what I know is a difficult part of your life. I know what it is to be in severe and chronic pain, especially after major reconstructive knee surgeries when I was a child.

The pain was so intense that I required heavy-duty narcotics, which only partially deadened the pain, and which took months, and months to be drug free.

While this is not the same as a chronic disorder, I have always felt that when I saw a story on television, or reported on one about medical marijuana, I had a better understanding than most people.

It seems to me that when there is no alternative in terms of conventional medicine, anything that has been approved for medical purposes should be accepted and understood. It's an issue that has to be addressed

John Diefenbaker, Canada: Mr. Onley, congratulations on your appointment

As you are well aware, the Lieutenant-Governor wields considerable constitutional power under certain circumstances, including the power to select a new premier following a vote of non-confidence (which has happened in Ontario as recently as 1985).

I am interested to hear your views on the latitude of the Lt.-Gov. in such circumstances. If you were in Lord Byng's shoes in 1926, would you have also refused Prime Minister Mackenzie-King's request for dissolution?

Would you accept a dissolution request if your next government falls after only a month or two in office?

If you can't discuss these issues directly, could you please provide some insight into the process you would follow to reach your decision? Thanks

David Onley Well first of all, Mr. Prime Minister, while we may have differences of opinion on your decision about the Avro Arrow, I have always appreciated your passage of the Bill of Rights.

While I will not comment on the issue of dissolution powers, I have already received briefings from the Attorney General's staff on what my options might be.

I am confident, as a Political Science graduate, in my own understanding of Constitutional issues, and very confident in the wise counsel offered, not only the A.G.'s office, but through other Constitutional advisors.

If I do find myself in this circumstance, however, after October 10th, may I call upon your considerable expertise for advice? And if so, do I contact you in the Heavenly realm or that other place?

David Guy, Canada: Lt.-Governor, first of all congratulations on your appointment. Some people have suggested this is simply 'window dressing', however, and the federal and provincial government are not serious about improving the lives of the disabled.

How much do you expect to lobby for change and, how realistic is it to expect any dramatic level of change in our society today?

Again, congratulations. I personally believe you were an excellent choice for the role.

David Onley: Thank you, David. In fact I believe that our provincial government is serious about improving the lives of the disabled.

The AODA was passed unanimously by the Legislature in 2005. It is unprecedented to have a major piece of government legislation fully supported by all parties.

I know that in talking with various members of all three political parties, there is a commitment to enhancing disability rights, which will continue regardless of who is in power after October 10th.

Virginia Galt, Globe and Mail: Thank you so much for taking time out of your hectic schedule.

Do you have any closing thoughts to leave with our readers?

David Onley: I am very aware of the significance of this Office and the new responsibilities it entails.

My family and I are deeply touched by the outpouring of support that we have received from people right across this province.

I truly look forward to the next 5 years.