"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.
Ontario's new Lt.-Gov. David Onley
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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?
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