David Shannon

A spinal cord injury left David Shannon a quadriplegic at 18. Now a lawyer, Mr. Shannon is committed to policy and legal advocacy for the protection of human rights and community inclusion for persons with disabilities.

He's more than a talker – he's a doer:  Mr. Shannon took his wheelchair 9,000 kilometres across Canada to promote social inclusion for everyone. He also made history as the first quadriplegic to reach the North Pole, and holds the world record for the highest altitude skydive by a wheelchair user after falling 28,500 feet.

In 2006, Mr. Shannon represented Independent Living Canada in meetings at the United Nations to draft a comprehensive Convention on the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities – a convention adopted by all member states. He has demonstrated that, through co-operation and inclusiveness, "there are no obstacles, only a future with infinite horizons."

Mr. Shannon was invested in the Order of Canada and Order of Ontario in 2011, and inducted into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame in 2010. He recently received the Lakehead University Alumni Honour Award.