UWinnipeg is proud to congratulate alum Kirby Côté (BA 12) who has received the Order of Sport, which marked her induction into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.
Kirby Côté is one of Canada’s most decorated Paralympic swimmers. Between 2000 and 2008, she represented Canada at three Paralympic Games, winning seven gold and six silver medals. Kirby was inducted into Canada’s Sport Hall of Fame at a special event in Gatineau Quebec on October 23, 2024.
As much as the induction was about Kirby’s individual success on the podium, Kirby said this was an opportunity to thank her family and have this recognition documented permanently in history. “I would not have been as successful without my mom, dad, sister and extended family,” said Kirby. “No matter what I was doing, whether it was being the best talented swimming, or school or navigating the world as a person with a disability, my parents have always supported me.”
Supplied: Kirby Côté, Gatineau, Quebec
Since competing in her first Paralympics at the age of 16, Kirby said it’s been a lifetime and true family journey. “Even if it was difficult and there were tears, struggles or even systemic barriers or discrimination, my parents would always check in and say, ‘is this what you want?’. They did everything to support me. It was great to have an opportunity to reflect on everything we’ve been through as a family.”
It is with this same parental compassion, understanding and sense of community that drives Kirby in her current role as Executive Director with Accessible Sport Connection Manitoba. Accessible Sport Connection Manitoba is a grassroots non-profit in which Kirby was a founder and original board member.
“Accessible Sport Connection Manitoba is a resource and educator,” said Kirby. “We do a lot of events that bring the disability community together.” This community includes the person with the disability, family, friends, health care providers and their community. “We use sport and recreation as the foundation for creating accessible and inclusive spaces,” said Kirby.
Kirby says these events and connections provides access to knowledge and a safe space to be disabled on the outside. “A lot of time, the disability experience is unique to the person, but often times they don’t know what’s out there, or what could help them, or what someone else did in their situation.” Kirby says the field of play is a great spot to share information about accessibility, whether it’s adaptive equipment or even an accessible restaurant.
Not only does this community aim to help the person with the disability, but family and friends can benefit too. “Sports and recreation are spaces where people can connect about a lot of different things,” said Kirby.
In addition to her role as executive director, Kirby runs and operates a successful massage therapy practice. “My university degree definitely supported my ability to be a massage therapist for the past 18 years,” said Kirby. “I don’t imagine having done massage therapy without a university degree. It really helps you become a more well-rounded health care provider.”
“It’s such a broad scope of knowledge you get with a kinesiology degree,” said Kirby. “The kin degree opened me up to a variety of ways to participate in sport and recreation and health and physical wellness.”
Kirby said her success was a unique journey. “The Paralympic narrative is that you’re a superhero and surpassed disability.” It was in her mid-twenties, when Kirby able to reflect on figuring out who she was as a person with a disability. “I think having to go from being an elite level athlete whose entire life was focused on being a successful swimmer to retiring and becoming a regular human being really forced me to reflect on my identity as a person with a disability.”
With the immense support from her friends, family and community, Kirby has paved a path to create change and impact those in her community by providing opportunities. “I’ve always been outspoken,” said Kirby. “I am known as a bit of an enforcer in the disability community, and I think we can do that respectfully and speak out loud and take up space.”
Through Accessible Sport Connections Manitoba, Kirby hopes for a world where people can dream of better spaces and doing things differently. “I dream of a place where we design community spaces that welcome all types of people,” said Kirby. “When you start to dream of all the different ways to make everything better in this world, then that is the beginning. We cannot create systemic change, without dreaming about it first.”
