Lieutenant Governor Onley

   Mr. Onley said he was glad to be back in Midland.  He suggested that introductions of local dignitaries might cause problems.  He attended the tribute to Oscar Peterson and reported that warm rounds of applause followed the introduction of the Governor General Michael Jean, the former GG Adrien Clarkson and himself but a literal roar went up when the former LG, Lincoln Alexander, was introduced.  He felt the comparison was telling.

He welcomed the members of the Civitans, the Lions, the Y's Mens and Probus, all of which are contributing to the well being of the community as per their mandate and he suggested that the principles of mentoring are applicable to all.  He fully believes that accessibility lets people achieve their potential.

He recognizes that there are many different disabilities and that we need to enable access to all - it's a civil right.  50% of all complaints at Human Rights Tribunals are based on access and when you consider how many other reasons there are for complaint, the fact that access outnumbers them all shows how much it affects the lives of those affected.  Unemployment is 5 times higher among the disabled than the national average so there's a long way to go.

He is familiar with Rotary's Polio Plus and has been talking to Tom Bennett and they are introducing a program whereby District 7010 will work with disabled students to mentor, advise, encourage them and maybe get them work.  Rotary, an association of business leaders, can inspire and this new effort to bring graduates into the work place is starting with Nipissing and Trent and Rotary can make a difference in putting people on a path to their future.  All service groups can help.  The solution does not lie with government alone.

Too many able people, he says, don't see the barriers and that needs to change.  He offered two illustrations.  Say you're and HR person and you're interviewing people but you can only see them from the waist down.  You reject a guy with one leg and there goes Terry Fox, you reject a guy in a wheelchair and that's Rick Hansen, you reject a guy in a chair and using a computer to communicate and you've missed on Stephen Hawking.  Now you're looking for work.

Or, picture how many doors you open in a day - your house, your car, some stores, your office.  Now think - can the blind find the door?  Can the arthritis sufferer turn the handle?  Can the armless person push it open?  Can a wheelchair fit through?  Can we open the door to our minds and turn disability into ability?

We should step back and try to see the world with the eyes of others.  A friend of his was a teacher in the 60's, given an english class for the 'non-university' stream or, in other words, those who, it had been decided, were not capable.  Mr. Onley said many would have tailored their teaching to the expectations but this friend decided to give them a course on mass media and soon came to Marshall McLuhan and his remark that we don't know who discovered water but we can be sure it wasn't a fish.  One student was brave enough to declare that he didn't understand the comment and was challenged to go home, think about it and report to class the next day.  Well, the next day he was so excited he could hardly contain himself.  He told the class that for the fish water was his environment, his world view, it was all he knew and he couldn't perceive an alternative mode of being.  The teacher was impressed and asked how he'd grasped the concept.  The student had called McLuhan and McLuhand had taken the time to work with the student until he got it.  This is a testament to the teacher, who challenged the standard expectations, to the student, who rose to the challenge and to Marshall McLuhan, who took the time to work with that student.  He hopes we are all willing to take a little time to work with someone, to help put them on a path to productivity, satisfaction and self worth.

He brought greetings from the Queen and thanked the Rotary Clubs for the invitation to his home town.