A quarter of a century after his Man in Motion Tour, rolling his way through 34 countries to raise money for spinal cord research, Rick Hansen made a stop Friday in Whitehorse.

It was a trip that 25 years ago seemed impossible.

"When I was doing the Man in Motion Tour and we were planning our route, it did dawn on me to try and go to the territories,” Hansen said in an interview Friday afternoon.

"It seemed impossible back then, and now you look at what's been going on and it's unbelievable the progress that has taken place here.”

To mark the anniversary, a relay which began last year, is retracing Hansen's Canadian route.

By the time it ends in Vancouver in May, 7,000 Canadians who have made significant contributions to their community will have carried a commemorative medal.

"I wanted to come and take the message of the relay up into communities that never had a chance to be a part of that journey 25 years ago,” Hansen said.

The 54-year-old was last in the territory five years ago when the government announced it would be giving $100,000 over five years to help create more accessible and inclusive communities for people with disabilities.

The money, distributed by a volunteer Yukon Solutions Team, has gone toward wheelchairs and scooters, improved technology and even adapting a snowmobile to allow an injured trapper to continue his work.

"In the old days, it was thought that if you had a disability and lived in the North you would have to move to a southern community. Well, those days are gone now,” Hansen said.

When the funding ran out, the organization applied to the government again in the summer of 2011. It has yet to hear back.

Premier Darrell Pasloski said re-establishing the funding for another five years is something he supports.

The application is working its way through the management board – a committee of ministers and senior government managers – and the group should hear back by the fall, the premier said.

Among the many who have benefited from the funding is eight-year-old Macey Hangartner.

The spunky Yukoner with cerebral palsy initially struggled to use an over-sized heavy walker given to her five years ago by the Child Development Centre.

"It didn't work; she abandoned it; she won't use the walker,” her mom, Rachelle Bridge said Friday after listening to Hansen speak.

But when the Yukon Solutions Team was able to get her a custom-built aid, she was on her way.

Affectionately dubbed the "red rocket,” the new walker allowed Macey the freedom to move around her house, her mother said.

"It was very liberating for her to get the walker, one that was lightweight and worked with her; she just took off. You could see gains right away with it.”

Within six months, she started to take steps independently. She now walks on her own.

"I believed it shorted that gap tremendously, getting her independently walking,” Bridge said.

Continuing the funding is important to help even more Yukoners, she said.

Hansen said it is important for the government to continue its investment in accessibility but also for the private sector to play a role.

"We have to continue to consult with our local champions, ask them where the obstacles are, ask them what the next priority should be and try to mobilize more support to get there faster,” he said.

The Yukon is a community actively making strides to improve the lives of people with disabilities, although there is much more to be done.

"It's that tough spirit of people who care; they don't see things as obstacles, they see them as challenges to overcome with creativity and hard work and a sense of community.”