Ladner’s Laurel Crosby was recently honoured for her years of contribution to sport for people with disabilities.
She was inducted into the Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association Hall of Fame in the builder category after 40 years as a volunteer and advocate for wheelchair sports. She joined other prominent athletes and builders in wheelchair sport at a gala celebration in Ottawa.
Crosby began as a volunteer with the British Columbia Wheelchair Sports Association in 1979. She served on the BCWSA and CWSA boards of directors starting in 1980. From 1993 to 1997, she was president of CWSA, and from 1997 to 1998 she was president of the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
She has shown leadership in numerous areas of wheelchair sports in Canada.
She developed junior sports in the mid-1980s, creating the first National Junior Sports Camp, held at Toronto’s Variety Village in 1984. She then led the coordination of a National Junior Sports Camp in Richmond.
She has also spearheaded programs throughout the able-bodied community, particularly at the school level, for a better understanding of attitudes toward people with disabilities.
During her career as a principal in Richmond, she worked tirelessly to ensure that students understood the value of inclusion, often arranging for demonstrations of Paralympic sport and bringing Paralympic athletes into the school to talk to students.
She also volunteered in team management, leading teams at the provincial and national level, including the BC Summer and Winter Games for the disabled and several national championships.
In 1992, she served as chef de mission of the Canadian team at the Summer Paralympic Games in Barcelona.
She has been previously recognized her commitment to wheelchair sports, including receiving the Sport BC Daryl Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award. She remains active in BC Wheelchair Sports and as a director of CWSA.
