"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered."

-- Nelson Mandela, A Long Walk to Freedom

"When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen."

-- Ernest Hemingway

"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."

-- Walter Bagehot

In 1976, Joanne McDonald was named the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Athlete of the Year. She was the Newfoundland and Labrador Female Athlete of the Year in 1978. And in 1980 she was selected as the Newfoundland and Labrador Athlete of the Decade for the 1970s.

Along the way, Joanne also earned numerous awards from the wheelchair sports community for her accomplishments on the track and on the basketball court. However, it was the awards recognizing her contributions to Newfoundland as an athlete, not a disabled athlete, that had the most meaning for Joanne. They were an acknowledgement by all Newfoundland sports enthusiasts of her contribution to sport in general.

These honours were as much a validation of wheelchair sports as they were of Joanne's success. They reflect an awareness of athletes with disabilities as athletes first, with their accomplishments viewed in that context.

Newfoundland remains the only province to bestow the title of Athlete of the Decade on an athlete with a disability.

Joanne McDonald was born in St. John's, Newfoundland, on August 16, 1952. When her biological mother was told at Joanne's birth that her daughter had spina bifida and would grow up with a disability, she decided she wouldn't be able to care for her properly. She left the hospital without her baby.

Joanne spent the first six years of her life in and out of different hospitals, rehabilitation centres, orphanages and foster homes. At the age of six she finally arrived at the home of John and Hilda St. Croix, where she stayed until she was 18, leaving only to pursue further education. The St. Croix family lived in St. Mary's Bay, a small community of less than 400 people approximately 165 kilometres from St. John's.

Although Joanne's birth mother had left her daughter to the care of others, she nevertheless refused to give her up for adoption. Joanne spent her entire youth as a foster child with the St. Croix's -- without the consent of the biological mother, the St. Croix's never had the opportunity to adopt Joanne. Looking back, Joanne does not know why her birth mother refused to sign the papers, but thinks it may have been to reserve the right to check in on her, should she ever want to (to Joanne's knowledge, she never did). Joanne's birth mother died in 1994. Joanne never met her. Coincidentally, Joanne's foster mother died two months later.

Notwithstanding Joanne's status as a foster child, John and Hilda loved and supported her as if she was one of their own children. With the exception of a signed adoption certificate, she was.

Growing up, Joanne's life was similar in most ways to other kids in her small town, with a few exceptions. One was her frequent trips to St. John's where she underwent a series of surgeries related to her disability. These trips were often lengthy, in some cases lasting several months; Joanne would study either from bed or in a classroom set up for the kids staying at the rehab centre.

When not undergoing or recovering from medical procedures, Joanne would return to St. Mary's, where school was a one-room schoolhouse for children of all grades. Although her disability did limit her ability to get around, Joanne was quite mobile and able to participate in most activities with her peers.

Spina bifida can affect various functions in addition to the ability to walk. Joanne had limited bladder control and required frequent trips to the bathroom during class, something not easily accepted by the nuns who ran the school. They saw these trips as an obstruction of their authority and an attempt by Joanne to use her disability as an excuse to avoid school work. Constant clashes occurred. Was Joanne "abusing the system," as the school administration claimed, or was it a matter of disability accommodation? Finally, armed with a letter from her doctor and the support of her family, Joanne confronted "the system." The teachers yielded.

As she grew older and her interests and level of participation in her community expanded, Joanne began to experience other barriers, although infrequently. As she entered high school, Joanne experienced what would be her greatest barrier in life -- ignorance. A new, modern high school had been built the previous summer with all the latest features, including labs for science class and a gymnasium. However, because of her disability, Joanne was expressly forbidden to take gym or play sports at school. Newfoundland's Athlete of the Decade of the 1970s was banned by school authorities from participating in any type of athletics, just a few years before earning her first international-level gold medal! (Today, when talking to students and their teachers about the importance of integrating kids with disabilities in all aspects of school life, Joanne uses this story to illustrate the power of ignorance. The absurdity is not lost on her audience.)

Although limited by school authorities, outside school Joanne never felt her disability was much of an issue. Indeed, in her relationships with her peers and her community, the fact that she was a foster child was of more concern to the people of St. Mary's Bay than her spina bifida. "The adults were more interested in where I'd come from than they were about my disability," says Joanne.

Joanne's teenage years were typical for the sixties. "We hung out in a gang and did things that basically annoyed the heck out of our parents," she says. "Clothing styles were undergoing major changes, and we eagerly experimented with them -- which, although tame by today's standards, was radical for the nuns and others in our small town. I remember pants with fly-zippers were the rage for the girls back then, and we thought we were so cool!"

Getting acquainted with sports

Joanne was introduced to wheelchair sports at the rehabilitation centre in the early seventies. Wheelchair sports had first been introduced to Canada as an organized movement in 1967, and Newfoundland was one of the last provinces to become involved. It formed a provincial association in 1973. "No one, including me, had ever heard of people with disabilities taking part in sports," recalls Joanne, "outside of just being spectators."

The summer of 1972, a group of Newfoundlanders with disabilities went to Calgary to observe the National Wheelchair Games. Joanne, having recently undergone more surgery, was unable to travel with the delegation.

Upon their return to Newfoundland, members of the group held a series of wheelchair sport demonstrations. Joanne watched, liked what she saw, and, and the age of twenty, was able to participate in sports for the first time. Discouraged from participating in sports throughout her youth because she might hurt herself, Joanne jumped at the chance to take part in wheelchair sports now. She experimented with several sports.

The following year, 1973, Joanne attended the National Wheelchair Games in British Columbia. "There were many events I was interested in," says Joanne, "so I decided to check them all out and see which ones I really enjoyed." Although she was there primarily to assess the different sports and decide which ones to pursue, Joanne did compete in one event (which she'd been practising since the year before) -- table tennis. She won a bronze medal!

Once home, Joanne decided to specialize in track and slalom. She attacked her newfound interests with passion. Not content with the status quo, Joanne began to analyze her equipment and that of other athletes, constantly looking at ways to improve her chances for victory. She also developed new training techniques. "There were no trained coaches in the early years of wheelchair sports in Newfoundland," Joanne points out.

At the 1974 National Wheelchair Games in Winnipeg, she won a gold medal in slalom. It was the beginning of an outstanding career as an elite amateur athlete. Joanne quickly rose to the top of her field, both nationally and internationally. She stayed there throughout the remainder of the decade.

Joanne readily admits that sport, for her, was more than simply having fun and winning medals. "When you are involved in sports," she says, "you gain self-discipline. You have to set priorities. You set goals and then you work toward meeting those goals." These are valued skills in any profession and, although formulated in the sporting arena, they have helped Joanne in all areas of her life.

"When I was younger, I was very shy," says Joanne. She explains that "through my involvement in sport, I gradually became comfortable with myself, my self-confidence increased and I became more involved in the community."

The following year, Joanne attended her first international competition -- the Pan American Wheelchair Games in Mexico. The 1967 dream of Allan Simpson of a regular Pan American wheelchair sporting event had, by 1975, become an institution in international wheelchair sports.

Joanne came away from these games with a gold medal in slalom and three bronze medals -- in basketball, 60-metre track and table tennis. That same year, this time at the National Wheelchair Games, Joanne again won a gold medal in slalom, and another gold and a bronze in track.

The next year Joanne won a gold medal in slalom and seven gold medals in track. She set six national track records at these national games in Cambridge, Ontario. Even more exciting, Joanne participated in her first Paralympic Games, which were held in Toronto shortly after the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. This time she won a silver medal in slalom and set a new Canadian record.

Joanne ended the decade with an impressive record of 29 gold, two silver and three bronze medals from seven National Wheelchair Games. In the process, she had set 13 Canadian records. At the international level, Joanne had won six bronze, seven silver and nine gold medals. She had also set eight Canadian and three world records.

For her accomplishments, Joanne received many awards. In addition to the athletic tributes listed earlier, she was named the Newfoundland and Labrador Wheelchair Athlete of the Year for seven consecutive years (1973 to 1979). The Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association selected her as its 1976 Athlete of the Year, and named her Class V Female Athlete of the Year three times: in 1977, 1978 and 1979.

While Joanne was honoured by all of these awards, her greatest satisfaction came when she was recognized by the able-bodied sporting world as a true world-class athlete worthy of honours, not just a disabled athlete.

"I never really felt it was a token gesture," says Joanne. "They didn't have to do it."

Even the media, she recalls, were respectful and attempted at all times to accurately reflect wheelchair sports as a competitive activity and not simply a form of rehabilitation therapy.

Not everyone, however, was as enlightened as the sport community and media of Newfoundland. By the end of the 1970s, Joanne, as an international-class athlete, believed that everyone saw her the way she saw herself -- as an athlete and a person. However, she recalls one incident that brought home to her the realization that attitudes should never be taken for granted.

It was 1979, and Joanne was competing at the Stoke-Mandeville Wheelchair Games in England. This was a preparatory event leading to the 1980 Paralympics -- an opportunity for athletes to assess their competition prior to the big event. As the Stoke-Mandeville Games were designed entirely around athletes with disabilities, one might assume that participating organizers and volunteers were relatively more aware than the general public of the abilities of people with disabilities.

After receiving her gold medal -- and setting a world record in the process -- Joanne left the podium area. Upon exiting the centre stage, she passed a volunteer who had witnessed her receiving the award. The volunteer approached Joanne, patted her on the head and said, "I hope you get well soon."

"This woman was working at an international event," says Joanne, "and yet, she patted me on the head! Surrounded by very fit elite athletes, she still considered us to be ill."

Inspiring athletes and students

While sport provided Joanne with many challenges and was a definite boost to her self-esteem, it didn't pay the bills. Indeed, unlike elite able-bodied athletes who received a stipend while pursuing their chosen sport, as an elite wheelchair athlete Joanne received no financial support from the federal government. (Today, both male and female national-level athletes with disabilities continue to receive less of a stipend from Sport Canada than their able-bodied colleagues.)

Joanne took a clerk typist course in 1971 at the St. John's College of Trades and Technology. She was offered a job as a receptionist at the rehabilitation centre where she'd been working part time, but declined. "By then I had had enough of the rehab centre. I wanted to move beyond this environment and work in the community," Joanne says.

Instead she accepted a job with Dr. Norm Lush, a neurologist in St. John's whom Joanne had come to know through wheelchair sports. "His entire family was active in wheelchair sports at the national level and were instrumental to its success in Newfoundland," she says. Dr. Lush and his wife became mentors to Joanne.

In addition to actively competing, Joanne involved herself with the administrative side of wheelchair sports in Newfoundland. She held various positions with the local and provincial bodies and was an energetic fundraiser.

Her friend and colleague Mary Reid remarks, "Joanne never says no to helping disability groups."

Of particular concern to Joanne was the level of participation by women in wheelchair sports. Although she competed against other women at the individual sport level, there was a definite shortage of women in team sports at the local and provincial levels -- especially wheelchair basketball. "We never played in an all-women environment until we met at the international level," recalls Joanne. And even then, at the international level, the participation of women in sports was not overwhelming. At the 1984 World Wheelchair Basketball competition in England, for example, Joanne says that "although 35 countries had sent a men's team, only eight countries sent a women's team."

Joanne's life and lifestyle had improved significantly when she began to participate in elite sports. Having been a shy young woman in the early 1970s, she was personally familiar with the benefits of sport and wanted other women, with and without disabilities, to experience them as well. She became a vocal spokesperson for women in sport.

"Sometimes women think they don't have what it takes," says Joanne. "I would talk with them and share personal experiences so they would feel more comfortable -- and hopefully become involved."

By the 1980s, although she still competed, Joanne was focusing more of her energy on other disability issues. She participated on accessibility committees and took on more public speaking engagements to increase awareness of disability issues and the barriers experienced by people with disabilities.

When speaking publicly, Joanne emphasized the benefits of sports for people as individuals. "Sport helped me evolve into someone I really liked," says Joanne. "I wanted to share my experiences with others, and how sport had shaped my life in such a positive way."

Joanne also used the speaking occasions to highlight some of the issues facing people with disabilities in general. This was when she would tell teachers and students that, growing up, "I wasn't allowed to take gym because of my disability. However, now I am competing provincially, nationally and internationally -- having lots of fun and success." Her message to the students was simple: "Never be afraid to have dreams." And she would urge teachers to "help students reach their dreams -- all students."

Joanne enjoyed her presentations in the schools. "Students are usually very open and ask very interesting questions, like, can you drive? Can you take the brace off, and how does it work? How do you get dressed in the morning? They are curious, and I think they understand my messages -- both about the value of sports and about the value of people with disabilities."

Joanne remained active in competitive sports for the first half of the 1980s. She continued to win national and international medals. Gradually, however, she focused on one sport -- wheelchair basketball. She enjoyed the team environment.

In 1984, Joanne began to experience chronic pain in her left shoulder. For a while she simply ignored the signals that her body was sending and continued to play basketball. Eventually, however, the pain became too great. She consulted the professionals -- sports medicine doctors -- and the diagnosis was clear: Alleviating the pain would require surgery, and even then there was no guarantee that she would ever recover sufficiently to play competitive sports again.

With this news, Joanne decided to retire from sports. She had had a remarkable run. She had travelled around the world and met a lot of truly wonderful people. She had started competitive sport at a relatively late age and had known that it would have to end eventually.

Twelve years after winning her first medal, Joanne retired. In 1993, she was inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Hall of Fame -- which she describes as completely exhilarating and a great honour.

Leaving sport, but creating positive change

After retirement from sports, Joanne McDonald did not simply go home quietly and resume her job as a receptionist. She got a job as a rehabilitation counsellor with the Canadian Paraplegic Association, helping newly disabled adults put their lives back together. She also took part-time courses in social work and achieved her certification in rehabilitation from Memorial University. And, with her profile and her finely developed public speaking ability, Joanne became an active advocate for people with disabilities.

By now Joanne had become involved with many disability organizations and committees. She advocated for change and improvement in services for people with disabilities across Newfoundland.

Although the province had strong legislation, particularly a building code requiring public buildings to be accessible, this code was rarely enforced. And while there have been significant improvements in accommodating people with disabilities over the years, there are still major hurdles to overcome.

At one point, frustrated by the lack of action, Joanne went to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary to request that the owner of a local, newly constructed, inaccessible building be arrested.

"The police didn't know how to handle my complaint, as they were not mandated to enforce this piece of legislation and really didn't know what to do with me," says Joanne. "I had visions of panic phone calls being made to the Department of Justice and frantic discussions ensuing as to how to deal with this woman in a wheelchair in their reception area!" Although the police finally informed her that the matter was outside their jurisdiction, she was able to meet with the local head of the detachment. The event also sparked media attention.

It is sometimes difficult to understand how a person can travel around the world, represent her country at international sporting events and win an impressive array of medals, only to come home and still not be able to get into a local restaurant or even a grocery store. As Joanne says, "Public buildings that are inaccessible to persons with disabilities are barriers to people gaining an education, working, socializing, shopping and essentially taking part in community life. Buildings that are not accessible are buildings that clearly state, 'You are not welcome.'"

In 1986 Joanne took a position with the federal Department of the Secretary of State. As a social development officer, Joanne had primary responsibility for the Disabled Persons' Participation Program. In addition, she worked with the department's women's, aboriginal and multicultural programs. The purpose of each of these programs was to improve community access of individuals in each of these groups. Joanne facilitated the coming together of concerned individuals to identify barriers to community access -- physical, attitudinal and systemic -- and develop solutions to address them.

Joanne's role was to assist representatives of each of these different "communities" to organize themselves to address their own issues. With her own personal skills and a little seed funding, Joanne would support the creation of groups specifically to address community participation issues. She suited the job well. However, recognizing the potential for conflict of interest with the organizations with which she'd been active, Joanne immediately resigned from the many boards and committees of which she was a member.

"I don't regret it," says Joanne, "because taking the job allowed me to work from the inside, and support advocacy groups to develop and address their agendas."

Although the Department of the Secretary of State was eliminated in the 1993 reorganization of the federal government, today Joanne continues to work with disability organizations on a number of issues.

Of particular interest to Joanne is the Independent Living movement. She has been an active volunteer with her local Independent Living Resource Centre (ILRC) for well over a decade, serving on its board of directors and working on committees and subcommittees. Joanne believes strongly its principles. "Independent Living is one of the most significant movements in the history of disability in Canada," she says.

Mary Reid, Executive Director of the Independent Living Resource Centre in St. John's, has worked closely with Joanne for a number of years. "The Joanne McDonald that I know is loyal, respectful, loving and mischievous," Mary says. "Joanne is loyal to her friends and to the principles which guide her life and work. These principles call for all people to have equity, to have options and support to live their lives as they choose. Her respect for other people and her non-judgmental manner have been evident in the volunteer commitments and various roles she has played in the ongoing development of the ILRC."

Family and community

While disability issues are of significant importance to Joanne, she is also concerned about other issues in this country, such as the environment. "We need to take care of and respect the land, air and water we so frequently take for granted," she asserts. "If we continue to abuse these vital elements, then our survival and that of future generations will be compromised."

Joanne is also concerned about the escalation of violence in our society, especially violence against women. She says that "women are being physically assaulted, abused and murdered in greater numbers every year. The statistics on the number of women who have experienced violence in their lives is staggering. Resolving this issue at a systemic level is a complex task; however, it's one the entire country must undertake if we are ever going to successfully eradicate violence against women."

In 1990, Joanne purchased a home in St. John's east end. She had always hoped to own her own home. The day the mortgage papers were signed was indeed a day of celebration.

In her spare time Joanne likes to visit friends, take care of her two dogs, listen to music, read mystery novels and travel. She is also interested in photography. Joanne enjoys taking photos of older homes and scenes around the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. "Photography is my passion," she says, "and while I have lots to learn, I plan to pursue this hobby with great zeal over the next part of my life."

In recent months Joanne has also developed an interest in genealogy. Shortly after her birth mother died, Joanne did a little detective work to find out more about her past. She wanted to know the circumstances surrounding her birth as well as more about her biological family.

Although she has not been able to learn anything about her biological father, Joanne did discover the whereabouts of a few relatives on her mother's side. One day, Joanne simply showed up on the doorstep of one of her cousins, knocked on the door and waited. Not quite knowing what to expect, when the door opened she explained who she was and braced herself for the response.

Her family was overwhelmed. She looked just like her mother, they all agreed. There were tears, hugs and telephone calls, remembers Joanne.

"It felt good. But to be honest, it was never really a burning issue for me. I had tremendous parents -- my foster parents were wonderful." Joanne says she pursued her biological relatives only because "I was curious."

Joanne notices a marked difference in the way she and her relatives relate to the concept of "family." "They have a sense of history that is very important to them," says Joanne. "As a foster child, I never really paid attention to the importance of the family tree. It had no relevance for me. Even today, I find it isn't as important to me as it is to others." She adds, "People talk about second cousins and third cousins -- whereas for me, I never even knew, or cared, what a third cousin was."

Throughout her life, Joanne has been concerned about the here and now, about helping disadvantaged people overcome barriers and achieve their full potential. She's still getting used to the idea of a family tree but doubts it will ever be as important to her as it is to others.

Joanne has found her home in a different family, one defined not by DNA but rather by a set of common interests and life experiences. Proud of her Newfoundland heritage, Joanne feels an equally strong kinship with the community of people with disabilities.

"To her friends, Joanne is like a personal coach -- encouraging, guiding, challenging and always giving," says Mary Reid. "Whether she is providing a sounding board, a gentle voice of support, questions which truly challenge or is cheering one on, Joanne knows what is right for the moment."

For Joanne, it is important that people with disabilities accept who they are and strive for the goals that they themselves want to attain. Joanne says, "I hope that some of the things I've accomplished make the statement to other men and women with disabilities that we can achieve our goals. It is not productive to try to live under the umbrella of someone else's expectations.

"Too many people automatically prejudge people with disabilities," says Joanne. "I find this extremely frustrating because the judgement is based on the disability, not the individual. This can be destructive and cause a great deal of personal pain."

She suggests that, "if you must judge, do so based on character, caring, humanity, friendship and on other personal attributes -- but not on any disability a person may have."

Joanne continues to set goals. One major goal is to reach a point where being patted on the head, being excluded from school activities like gym class, being unable to get into a restaurant, grocery store or public building, are all, at long last, behind us.