The Late Honourable David Onley is Celebrated in New Multimedia Exhibit Honouring His Impact on Accessibility in Ontario
March 8 – 28, 2024
Withrow Common Gallery, Exhibition Place
“Championing Disability Inclusion in Employment: The Legacy of David C. Onley” was organized in close consultation with Ruth Ann Onley and the Onley family, with video tributes from Canadians, including Rick Hansen
A new month-long exhibit organized by the Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN) and the Canadian National Exhibition Association (CNEA) pays tribute to the late Honourable David C. Onley, award-winning broadcast journalist and 28th Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, and the lasting impact of his advocacy for inclusive employment.
Championing Disability Inclusion in Employment: The Legacy of David C. Onley is a multimedia exhibit that recognizes Onley’s passionate, personal dedication to making Ontario fully accessible for everyone, and to fostering the creation of equitable employment opportunities for people who have a disability. The exhibit aims to celebrate Onley while inspiring the community, employers, educators and legislators to continue building an accessible Canada that helps everyone reach their full potential.
It opens to the public on Friday, March 8 at Withrow Common Gallery, 200 Princes’ Boulevard, Exhibition Place. Gallery hours are Tuesdays to Saturdays, Noon to 6 p.m. For more information, visit withrowcommon.ca.
Championing Disability Inclusion in Employment: The Legacy of David C. Onley was organized in close consultation with Ruth Ann Onley and the Onley family.
“On behalf of the Onley family, I am honoured to support ODEN and the CNEA’s launch of the Championing Disability Inclusion in Employment: The Legacy of David C. Onley exhibit to recognize the contributions of my dad, the Honourable David C. Onley, in his lifelong advocacy for inclusive employment for persons with disabilities in Ontario and across Canada,” says Robert Onley, one of three Onley sons and a practising lawyer.
He adds, “Through this gallery, we hope to inspire a new generation of employers and champions in our communities who will hire inclusively, and in doing so help fulfill my dad’s belief that ‘true accessibility occurs when disabled people can fully participate in the social, cultural, and economic life of Ontario.’”
The exhibit includes larger-than-life reproductions of selected official photographs, correspondence and artifacts, from David Onley’s tenure as Ontario Lieutenant-Governor (2007–2014) that are part of the David C. Onley fonds housed in the archives at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus (UTSC), where Onley attended in the 1970s. In October 2014, he was appointed as a Senior Lecturer and Distinguished Visitor at his alma mater following his term in office as Queen Elizabeth’s representative for Ontario.
The multimedia elements of the exhibit include:
- Video tribute message from Rick Hansen, known as The Man in Motion, and the founder of The Rick Hansen Foundation
- Video testimonial from former CityNews anchor Gord Martineau
- A wall of “Disability Insights” visual quotes about disability from well-known Canadians who are disability experts or who have lived experience with disability
- Now hard-to-find copy of Shuttle, the science-fiction paperback novel David Onley wrote in 1981 about a NASA space shuttle mission accident
In keeping with Onley’s aspirations and legacy, the exhibit and gallery are accessible.
“As the first person with a visible disability to hold the Office of Lieutenant-Governor, David made an unprecedented, lasting impact on the disability inclusion movement, the disability inclusion conversation and action on disability inclusion in Ontario,” says Jeannette Campbell, the CEO of ODEN. “With his passing in 2023, Ontario lost a remarkable individual and champion of disability inclusion. We felt it’s important to publicly remember and honour David and his legacy.”
During his tenure, Onley founded ODEN’s Business Champions League. The League was started to both recognize business leaders who are proactively committed to disability inclusion in employment and to foster camaraderie and collegiality among them. Business Champions also mentor other business leaders on disability-inclusive hiring. The ultimate goal of the Business Champions League is, to promote inclusive hiring practices and equitable employment of people who have a disability.
“The late David Onley has brought so much awareness to the conversation of inclusivity and accessibility not only in the workplace but as it is reflected in media, education, arts and culture,” says Darrell Brown, CEO of the Canadian National Exhibition.
“He broke down barriers in every sense, and his leadership and contribution to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) continues to impact and resonate across all sectors. We are honoured to celebrate an exemplary trailblazer whose lifelong dedication to public service and advocacy has, and continues to, affect positive change for persons with disabilities and for the greater community.”
Onley was an award-winning broadcaster and one of Canada’s first on-air personalities with a visible disability when he joined CityTV as a news reporter in 1984. He would later go on to anchor CP24 when the station launched. He always appeared with his mobility device, bringing disability awareness to all who tuned in.
In 2007 David Onley was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, serving until 2014. As the province’s first Lieutenant-Governor with a disability, he adopted accessibility as the overarching theme of his mandate. He defined accessibility as “that which enables people to achieve their full potential,” believing that true accessibility occurs when people who have a disability can fully participate in the social, cultural and economic life of Ontario.
Onley received numerous awards and accolades for his advocacy and contributions. They include the Order of Canada, Order of Ontario, and the Rick Hansen Award of Excellence. In 2014, The David C. Onley Award for Leadership in Accessibility was established to recognize the outstanding work of individuals who have demonstrated leadership to champion accessibility and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.
Tributes poured in from Canadians, dignitaries and accessibility organizations upon the news of Onley’s passing in January 2023. Onley was honoured with a state funeral.
The Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN), created in 2008, is a professional body of more than 130 employment service providers united to increase employment opportunities for people who have a disability. Members are from every corner of the province and support people of all disability types. Beyond Ontario, ODEN (odenetwork.com) has connections with organizations in other provinces and territories of Canada. Light It Up! For NDEAMTM is a trademark of the Ontario Disability Employment Network.
The CNEA’s Commitment to Accessibility
The Canadian National Exhibition Association (CNEA) is dedicated to ensuring that all guests and members of the organization are treated fairly and equitably. The organization is committed to improving accessibility and inclusivity at the CNEA at all levels, from employment through to admissions and customer service. The CNEA strives to be a leader in accessibility in North America, and, ultimately, to become an inclusive destination in terms of entertainment and innovation for persons with disabilities. Since 2016, we have worked diligently with a number of accessibility experts to improve accessibility and inclusivity at the CNE at all levels, from employment through to admissions and customer service. We are committed to being one of the most accessible and inclusive fairs in North America that annually welcomes more than 1.5 million visitors of all abilities.