CPA Advocate of the Year: Canadian Paraplegic Association

CPA Advocate of the Year

Congratulations to Mark Iantkow who received our Advocate of the Year Award at the Annual General meeting of the Association which was held in June 2008.

Mark�s tireless leadership and constantly challenging the status quo (locally, provincially and nationally) has resulted in pioneering ventures and various barrier-free design/universal design and transportation infrastructures to continually evolve. He is, in short, a true pioneer and has laid the foundations for others to follow and carry on the slow progressions toward a genuine-universally-designed Canada. Mark has not always been received with open arms by governmental officials; nor has he been embraced for his efforts by many of our disability communities (as some individuals think access to structures and to transportation should progress much more quickly and in different ways), but this has not deterred Mark from committing literal volunteer years toward these vital efforts.

Having been registered as legally blind since his age of ten in 1961 (he retains an inherited eye condition that has slowly been deteriorating over the years), Mark not only advocates based upon his community development and learnings regarding barrier-free access and equitable access to transportation, but he has true empathy for all disability populations, for he has lived experience as a Canadian having a disability.

Congratulations!