Utilizing a wheelchair for the previous 5 years has given former Humboldt Broncos hockey participant Ryan Straschnitzki a brand new path ahead.
The 23-year-old from Airdrie, Alta., says so many instances family and friends have needed to carry his chair up stairs, wheel him down sketchy ramps and discover different methods to get him round slender doorways.
He due to this fact research find out how to make buildings extra accessible to the disabled.
“I have been dwelling this expertise for 5 years now and touring all around the world and simply realizing how inaccessible locations are, particularly Calgary, the place I am more often than not,” he mentioned, “I noticed that possibly I engaged on making issues somewhat extra accessible … these sorts of issues do not should be encountered by anybody else.”
Straschnitzki was paralyzed from the chest down on April 6, 2018, when a semi-trailer ran a cease signal and drove into the trail of the junior hockey staff’s bus in rural Saskatchewan.
Sixteen folks died and 13 had been critically injured.
Since then, Straschnitzki has performed sled hockey and grow to be a model ambassador for Adidas. And he just lately accomplished an accessibility certification course with the Rick Hansen Basis on a nationwide ranking system that measures the bodily accessibility of buildings and different websites.
READ MORE: Straschnitzki Fundraises for Groundbreaking Adaptive Golf Gear
Hansen, who created the muse, is finest generally known as the Man In Movement for his wheelchair journey all over the world within the Eighties to lift consciousness of individuals with disabilities and discover a remedy for paralysis.
He has been in common contact with Straschnitzki because the Broncos accident.
“Rick and I had a couple of conversations and we realized Canada is usually somewhat bit behind the eight ball on accessibility,” Straschnitzki mentioned.
“So I took this course to be taught somewhat extra about common design, in order that structure is extra accessible to everybody.
“I’ve already realized about building drawings and forms of buildings. Tips on how to do a ranking system and find out how to make modifications the fitting means. Hopefully this will help me mission a common design to future builders.”
Straschnitzki is not positive if it should result in a profession, however mentioned he is wanting into associated programs sooner or later.
4 years in the past, docs implanted an epidural stimulator in Straschnitzki’s backbone. The machine, which seems to be like a smartphone, sends electrical currents to the spinal wire to stimulate nerves and transfer limbs.
With it, he was capable of stand on his personal and take a couple of steps with a walker.
He additionally makes use of the machine to enhance his steadiness whereas enjoying sled hockey. Straschnitzki is on Alberta’s para hockey staff and has labored to make the nationwide staff and the Olympics.
“It is a type of issues the place you hope you will get an opportunity to strive in September. However from what I have been instructed by folks within the group and thru the para-hockey program, my incapacity is holding me again,” he mentioned.
“It is a bit of the steadiness and the skating. The entire sport is basically an amputee sport, so for a man in a wheelchair to make that staff goes to be robust.
“Hopefully I can show them flawed once more.”
© 2023 The Canadian Press
