Debbie Kirwin may be known for helping to make Huntsville more accessible for people with disabilities, but, as she puts it, that’s not what she’s about.

Since she and her husband Ross took early retirement four years ago, Kirwin has been focusing on enjoying life.

Her Lake Vernon home with its spectacular sunsets provides the perfect backdrop for entertaining family and friends. There are pontoon boat tours and a houseful of visitors in the summer and wildlife-watching and snowmobiling in winter.

No matter what the season, Kirwin enjoys Huntsville’s small-town atmosphere. “You always bump into someone you know,” she says, “and everywhere people say, ‘Have a good day.’”

Kirwin grew up in Ancaster and graduated from the University of Western Ontario. She met her husband Ross at Clevelands House on Lake Rosseau, where they were both working at summer jobs.

“I grew up cottaging in Muskoka and always wanted to work there,” she says.

They were married about a year later. After having two children, Jay (now 32) and Andrew (now 28), Kirwin taught at Sheridan College, first part-time and then full-time

Then, 16 years ago, a car accident sent her life in an unexpected direction.

“I lost control on Hwy. 400,” she says. “My husband had a few bruises and I  broke one bone. Unfortunately, it was vertebrae in my neck.”

Kirwin spent six weeks at Sunnybrook and almost a year at Lyndhurst, a rehabilitation centre, learning what it was going to take to become independent again, while waiting for her new home to be built.

“I look back and think, ‘Wow a whole year,’” she says, adding that she attributes her success to Ross, who visited her daily, and her children, family and friends, who inspired her.

After living in North Toronto for 30 years, the couple started searching for the perfect piece of property in Muskoka.

Building began at their Lake Vernon site early 2003 and they moved in a week before Christmas of that year.

It didn’t take long for Kirwin’s schedule to fill up. She joined both the town and the district's accessibility advisory committees and has been chair of the former for several years.

“I do it for purely selfish reasons, to improve the quality of my  life,” she says, noting that when she first arrived in town she could only get into about half of the stores on Main Street. “As a result of the yellow ramp project, there are only a few stores left that are inaccessible.”

Kirwin was also active on the bid and organizing committees for the 2006 Paralympic Games, which were held in Huntsville.

“It was a huge success,” she says. “We had more volunteers than we knew what to do with. The volunteer base in this community and fundraising that goes on is unbelievable.”

Bringing the Paralympics to town was a great experience. It brought an awareness that resulted in a huge change in attitude, says Kirwin. At first there were lots of naysayers protesting that Huntsville was not an accessible town, but she challenged them to name her one community in Ontario that is. Eventually they saw the light.

“The way you approach people is important,” she notes. “You have to offer reasonable solutions that aren’t going to cost an arm and a leg. You need a glass-half-full approach to accomplish things.”

Kirwin, who is adamant that her disability doesn’t define her, uses that same approach in her own life.

“Perfect strangers stop and ask why I am in a wheelchair,” she says. “While I don’t mind answering, they always respond with a pained look on their face and say things like, ‘I’m so sorry,’ ‘You poor thing,’ and, ‘How do you manage?’ I am not ‘confined’ to a wheelchair, it just happens to be my mode of travel.”

Kirwin says the biggest barrier she has faced over the years is  people’s attitude that she is disadvantaged.

“If people could only look beyond the disability, they’d find a very happy person who is enjoying life to its fullest,” she says. “I consider myself fortunate to have family, friends, independence, love and good health. What more could a person want?”

Thanks to Glenn Boon for suggesting that Debbie Kirwin be profiled. If there is someone you’d like to see in this space, please call Paula at 789-5541 or e-mail  pboon@metrolandnorthmedia.com.