Warman councillor works to change handicap parking to accessible parking

At just 20 years old, Tracy Johnson was faced with a very difficult decision on whether or not she should have her right leg amputated.

Johnson was playing in a basketball game for the Brandon University Bobcats in January of 1993 when she went up for a layup and fell, breaking both her fibula and tibia.

(Tracy Johnson/Submitted)

She underwent nine surgeries before she made the ultimate decision to amputate the leg.

“Through a series of unfortunate events, I was faced with the option of keeping my leg and going through repetitive surgeries or opting to amputate,” explained Johnson.

“My best option was amputation, as that would be able to allow me to continue to play basketball and to continue to have a good, healthy and safe well being later on in life.”

Johnson later became the first person in Canada to play basketball at the university level with a prosthetic leg. She said she does not regret her decision.

Today, the hall-of-fame athlete is a city councillor in the City of Warman as well as a principal at Beardy’s & Okemasis Willow Cree First Nation.

Johnson became a councillor in November of 2020, and said the decision to enter politics allowed her “to use my story and my voice to enact a positive change to help out the City of Warman.”

She said one of those positive changes is helping make people with disabilities feel more included in the community.

The major change to help that message be passed along was changing the labelling of “handicap” parking spots to “accessible” parking spots.

“I am a person with a disability, so it speaks to me and it also speaks to those who are going through their own struggles in the disability community,” said Johnson.

“It was such a simple gesture … This was an actionable step that I could take to make a positive change.”

Johnson said she met with several businesses in Warman to propose the change, and was met with a very positive reaction.

“They were very receptive and wanted to make that positive change, and they were all for it, no questions asked,” said Johnson.

After the changes were made early this year, Warman became the first municipality in Saskatchewan to put the requirement into a bylaw.

“Not everyone is aware that the word ‘handicap’ can be seen as outdated and offensive,” said Johnson.

“I’m so happy with the City of Warman and the business community.”

Johnson said the word “handicap” is a term that puts limitations on people.

“It tells me that I can’t. It tells me that I am handicapped and that I am different from everyone else, and that maybe I maybe I am not able to do it, and I actually am and I think that I’ve proven that,” said Johnson. “There are a number of athletes and people every day that are overcoming that stigma.”

Johnson said she doesn’t want to stop with just Warman, and hopes the change will be adopted across not only Saskatchewan, but across all of Canada.