If you asked Claire Buchanan if she feels as if she defied the odds, being born with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, she would share with you in the humblest manner how she has defied them for some thirty-six years later by living in a society that does not understand what a queer, disabled, high-performance athlete contends with living in Canada, but she’s grateful for the unwavering support by those closest to her throughout the years.

Knowing instinctively, as a mother does, that life may present challenges to her soon-to-be teenage daughter, Buchanan’s mother Sue began searching for sporting opportunities within the community and discovered Cruisers Sports.

The younger Buchanan immediately began playing Para Ice Hockey. Around the same time, they discovered the Burlington Vipers wheelchair basketball team, coached by Chris Chandler.

While she had Chandler early in her career, she remarks that he was the first coach she looked up to with appreciation and gratitude. “If I could choose a coach, Chris would be the person I would choose to be coached by.”

‍Through that opportunity, after years of hard work and dedication to her craft, Buchanan was offered a scholarship to play collegiately with the Alabama Crimson Tide Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team where she was a two-time national champion.

After relocating to the United States for two seasons to play for Alabama, Buchanan came home, where she trained in Toronto at the Toronto Pan Am Centre with the Canadian Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team. She was a member of Team Canada from 2014 to 2018.

As she began to realize her career in wheelchair basketball was winding down, she heard through a teammate at that time that a group of individuals were trying to create a Canadian Women’s Para Ice Hockey team and asked if she would be interested in trying out for the team.

‍“After not being involved in the sport for eight years, I went out and bought a sled. I immediately realized I was going to have to relearn everything all over again. I didn’t just pick it up easy.”

Void of being a proud, queer disabled mom, Buchanan prides herself on the advocacy she carries with her every single day.

She recognizes that although she sits amongst many intersectionality including being a disabled, queer, high-performance athlete who is also a mom; she wouldn’t change it for the world.

‍“I’m proud that I can lead by example, not only on the ice and within the circles of which I’m a part but also in my son's life.”

Away from the rink and the home, Claire was fortunate enough to land an opportunity to be a part of Accessible Media Incorporated “The Neutral Zone”, a podcast that explores para sports and mainstream sports. She was the first woman named to the panel in mid-2019. “I was first connected to the show as a guest to talk about women's para hockey.” Claire explains that this experience opened up doors to more opportunities, networking, career paths, and meaningful conversations.

As for her hope for the future of queer people in spaces, Buchanan believes that although more spaces exist that are safe for everyone to enjoy and to just simply be today, it continues to be a collective effort on everyone’s part moving forward. “To be able to walk in spaces and not feel like your safety is threatened. That is the one thing I wish I could change because that’s what Pride is.”

‍They are not asking for anything extra and just want the same respect and laws as everyone else.

Claire has been fortunate enough to have many role models throughout her experience in Para Sports and life, but when asked about who she feels she has been able to look up to and connect with on a personal and professional level she mentions Brock McGillis.

Brock is known to have created a network called the Alphabet Sports Collective which creates safer spaces for queer individuals in sports and has been an integral part of Claire’s journey in broadcast journalism.

Claire has had the opportunity to connect with many individuals in her parasport journey that have had impacts on her. One of these is her coach Chris Chandler that helped shape her. Currently, she is coached by Tara Chisholm and Derek Whitson who embody the idea of “making everyone feel welcome and safe where their voices matter.”

Even though she has become an advocate within the spaces she has been lucky to share about, she feels that she still gets nervous but it’s worth it because as she says, “I get this thrill and I have seen the benefits of what it does having those conversations. The growth alone you experience, it’s worth it.”

‍Due to her experience with advocating for certain spaces and a multitude of different groups, she has been lucky enough to connect with like-minded genuine individuals who are helping create safe spaces for hockey players young and old of every ability including Rink of Dreams founder Elise Weiss.

The Rink of Dreams is a backyard ice rink, that they also turn into a ball hockey surface so that it can be used all year round.

It has allowed people from different backgrounds, walks of life and organizations to utilize while appreciating and growing the game many of us have grown to love, appreciate and have helped escape from the difficulties we face in our day-to-day lives.

Buchanan doesn’t necessarily lament her experiences growing up however she has some pretty sound advice for her younger self and the hope for generations that look up to her as a role model.

‍“Don’t believe the negativity. No matter what you do in life there are going to be moments of you can't and you don’t belong here, your voice doesn’t matter.”

Her hope for future generations is that they can get more support. Buchanan has a keen understanding that although able-bodied and disabled people live separately, for them to move ahead and live in unison it’s up to all of us to be allies.

Her journey as an advocate continues and will be lifelong, she knows that although exhausting at times, that it’s important and at the end of the day it’s entirely worth it; “I’ve learned to pace myself but to give myself some grace.”

‍Claire's mental health is of the utmost importance to her however with that in mind she knows that she will continue to work hard and shape the communities in which she has had a connection. Buchanan wants generations after her to remember to live their most authentic selves and excel no matter what their path is.

The legacy that she wants to leave led her to “create the first queer and allied para hockey team to hopefully play this season.”

One thing is for certain, despite everything she’s faced in her life, it’s evident that no matter how hard she has had to work at it; she’ll leave the earth better than when she first arrived.