‘Just keep going’: Accessibility advocate creates website supporting Manitobans with disabilities

A Winnipeg man has developed a website to help link people living with disabilities to resources they need. CTV’s Joseph Bernacki has more.

George Loewen’s life changed forever six years ago after a spinal cord injury left him an incomplete quadriplegic.

Still, partial paralysis in all four limbs does not stop him from enjoying a good bike ride every week.

“I still need to get out here to see Doctor Nature, yes, you bet,” Loewen said.

The bike trail following the Seine River in St. Boniface is just one of many Loewen uses regularly in the city.

A 2019 mountain bike accident left him wondering what he was still capable of doing.

“When you’re paralyzed, you don’t know what you can do, right?” Loewen said.

“Slowly realizing after two years, I can get on a three-wheeler, four-wheeler type of bike and get back on the trails again.”

He said finding the resources he needed was challenging. Everything from health care needs to an accessible pool—and even pottery classes.

He started with a poster asking for tips from the community, but he evolved the idea into a website. It was a much faster way to connect.

“There’s 550-plus entries on the site; pretty much this finger has done everything,” Loewen said as he points to his iPad.

“I’ve had some help from other developers. It’s been a process of three and a half years.”

His website Wheelchair Adventures Manitoba offers listings of accessible trails, places and activities.

Manitoba Possible, a non-profit organization, helps those living with disabilities every day. Staff say an online resource like this is invaluable.

“It’s really people with lived experience that can tell us what is truly accessible,” said Lindsey Cooke, CEO at Manitoba Possible.

“The more resources we have, the more information that’s gathered, it’s really going to help people identify those public spaces, trails, venues.”

What keeps Loewen going? A love of the world outside his front steps. Staying active motivates him to keep encouraging others to never give up.

“If there’s anything we could do, you know, on the website to get other people to just get outside or get moving, or whether you do indoor activities, outdoor, whatever you do, just keep going,” Loewen said.

The 65-year-old has plans to expand the website and said he has plans to meet with the City of Winnipeg to discuss details on making more trails in the city accessibility friendly.