David is a member of the Law Society Ontario practicing health law in Thunder Bay, Ontario. He received a Masters of Law degree at the London School of Economics, and has continued in his law practice and non-government organization leadership since then.
His Dave Shannon Cross-Canada Tour in 1997 gained national media attention as he became the first quadriplegic to trek across Canada in a motorized wheelchair, and in 2009 he set another first by going to the North Pole celebrating the message that seemingly insurmountable barriers can be overcome.
Shannon has won numerous prestigious awards and honours, such as the Order of Ontario and the Order of Canada for his work advancing the rights of disabled persons and other minority groups in Canada and abroad. His academic and professional body of work has been expansive within the realm of human rights and health law. David has also been a sessional lecturer at Lakehead University and Negahnewin College at both the undergraduate and graduate level as well keynote speaker at numerous conferences across North America.
He is Co-editor of the book Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) In Canada: Key Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives published by Springer Nature.