A proud member of the Cowichan Tribes, Richard Peter is a respected leader, mentor and ambassador within SCI, Indigenous and Parasport communities.
A five-time Paralympian and a three-time gold medalist in Wheelchair Basketball, Richard is one of Canada’s most decorated Paralympic athletes. In addition to his sporting background, Richard brings a wealth of experience to the role thanks to his current work as an ambassador for BC Wheelchair Sports Association’s Indigenous Bridging the Gap program and previous experience as a Peer Mentor with Spinal Cord Injury BC, helping people with SCIs adapt and thrive.
Within this new role with the BC SCI Network, Richard will work with the five network organizations to help enhance relations between network organizations and Indigenous communities. He’ll also assist in educating and increasing the cultural awareness of network staff and core volunteers and help connect Indigenous individuals with disabilities with services and supports available through Network Organizations, including peer mentorship, sports programming, employment initiatives and more.
This new position is made possible, in part, thanks to the support of the Government of BC and viaSport BC’s Team UP Grant. The BC SCI Network would like to recognize and thank the provincial government for their support of the network and its organizations initiatives that help people with disabilities live, work and play across the province.
About the BC SCI Network
Formed in 2010, the BC Spinal Cord Injury Network (BC SCI Network) is comprised of five disability organizations working together to help make BC the best place for people with physical disabilities to live, work, and participate in the community. These organizations include BC Wheelchair Basketball Society, BC Wheelchair Sports Association, The Disability Foundation, Neil Squire Society and Spinal Cord Injury BC.
While each of our organizations is known for doing a lot with a little, we all recognize that we could do a whole lot more by working together. Through the complementary services that we each provide, the BC SCI Network is helping people with physical disabilities to overcome key challenges in their life by supporting physical and mental health and wellness, reducing social isolation, helping to find accessible housing, and providing information on supports for daily living and other priority resources. Our member organizations support the collective goal to increase the confidence and skills to return to work, provide opportunities to engage in active, healthy lifestyles through sport and recreation, and provide support to be active and engaged members of communities throughout BC.
