Stephanie Dixon talks about role models when she addresses groups across Canada.
That’s only fitting because she is one.
Born without a right leg and hip, the former University of Victoria Vikes swim star won seven gold medals, eight silvers and two bronze at the 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Paralympics.
“UVic is where I tackled a lot of my insecurities and broke through them,” she said.
So much so that Dixon won medals for the Vikes in able-bodied categories at the U Sports national championships.
“UVic was the first time I didn’t have the words ‘athlete with a disability’ attached to me,” said Dixon, who was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
Dixon is back in town this weekend to speak to groups such as national team athletes in triathlon and middle-distance track, UVic varsity athletes, her old Pacific Swim Club and the OneAbility seminar at PISE.
“It is very emotional to be back at the pool [at Saanich Commonwealth Place] where I spent eight years of my life,” she said.
Her message resonated with the groups she spoke to over the weekend.
“The difference between accessibility and inclusion is that accessibility is the physical part of it,” she said.
“Inclusion is when you feel welcome and see someone who looks like you in a position of power. I am still facing barriers in my life, but it is getting better.”
Dixon, who grew up in Toronto, is now based in Whitehorse. She is working as a swimming coach, personal trainer and motivational speaker.
The group that arranged her weekend talks was 94 Forward, the organization that administers the $20-million legacy fund from the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games.
“So many great athletes trained and competed in Victoria, and we want them to be an inspiration for future generations,” said John MacMillan, president of 94 Forward.
“It’s legacy feeding legacy.”
Last year, 94 Forward brought 2007 world championship 800-metre silver-medallist runner and 2008 Olympic fourth-place Gary Reed back to town for a similar event.
Dixon was host team chef de mission for the 2015 Para Pan Am Games in Toronto and said her dream is to be selected as the chef de mission for the Canadian team to the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
At the 94 Forward offices at Saanich Commonwealth Place, Dixon’s image is between those of Olympic gold-medallist triathlete Simon Whitfield and the 2008 Beijing Olympic gold-medallist Canadian men’s rowing eight team.
As is the custom when athletes return, Dixon signed her picture.
“This is the place I felt I truly became empowered,” she said.
- Cleve Dheensaw, Times Colonist
