Presenters

Lisa Franks’ world changed at the age of 14 when she became paralyzed from the neck down. She slowly regained the use of her arms and began adapting to life as a wheelchair user. She discovered wheelchair sports and quickly rose through the ranks, competing at three Paralympic Games and bringing home six gold and one silver medal. While balancing competition and training, Lisa graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and completed the Rick Hansen Accessibility Certification program. 

After a severe shoulder injury ended her competitive sports career, Lisa turned to the outdoors and became an avid trail user. This led to working with Trans Canada Trail and AccessNow on accessibility mapping, a process where trail users of a variety of abilities collect and share information about their experience on the Trail. 

An avid adventurer, Lisa now spends much of her time mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, surfing and travelling in her self-designed wheelchair-accessible campervan. Through her storytelling and advocacy, she highlights the importance of inclusive design and champions a future where everyone can experience the benefits of being outdoors.