When Guy Carriere packed his bags for Guide Dog AdvoCamp at CNIB Lake Joe, he had no idea that his hero, Paul Rosen, would be there.
"I recently decided I wanted to try and play blind hockey," says Guy. "In that process, I was reading a lot about Paul Rosen and his life and what he's accomplished," says Guy.
A Canadian ice sledge hockey goalie, Paralympian, and disability advocate, Paul Rosen stopped by Guide Dog AdvoCamp to deliver a moving and motivational speech to 30 guide dog handlers from across the country.
"As somebody that's disabled, that feels so abled body, it's critical to get people to understand how to allow the ability to come through disability," says Paul. "Don't let somebody put you in a box just because you look disabled."
Paul's passion and perseverance influenced Guy's advocacy work.
"He's so motivating because there are not enough people out there that push, and try, and go over boundaries to be great in life," says Guy. "Paul said so much that hits the heart. I can't even put it into words – it's beyond inspiration."
"And that's why I do this. When a guy like Guy stands up and says, 'You're my hero, you're my mentor,' it makes me want to get up tomorrow morning. I'm almost in tears because it means so much to me," says Paul.
To learn more about Paul Rosen, visit paulrosen.ca.
Read more articles from the September 2019 issue of Equalize:
- Call for National Elections Advocates/ Elections Accessibility
- Bill C-81 Royal Assent
- Tips for Accessible Airline Travel
- Know Your Rights
- Educate to Advocate – Empowering Advocacy Across Ontario
- CNIB Foundation releases The ABCs of iOS manual
- Tales of a Guide Dog Handler
- Deafblind Community Services etiquette session at the London Community Hub
- Have your say on making information accessible in Ontario
- Become a Guide Dog Champion!