Students taking part in a new sledge hockey program in the Upper Grand District School board are having plenty of fun and getting exercise, but more importantly they are getting a life lesson.
The board has taken a sledge hockey program started at Drayton Heights Public School a few years ago and implemented it board-wide.
Over the next few years, elementary and high school students will get to participate and experience the benefits of sledge hockey, both physically and educationally.
On Wednesday, students from Brant Avenue Public School took to the ice at Exhibition Arena. June Avenue Public School had their go on Tuesday.
"It meets all of the criteria that the board is trying to accomplish about inclusion . . . it ticks off a lot of boxes," said teacher Andy Speers, who started and runs the program.
There are two main lessons that Speers wants the students to take away from the experience: not to judge a book by its cover and that inclusion is extremely important.
"Just because someone has a disability doesn't mean that they can't accomplish phenomenal things and the students learn that by how hard this sport actually is," he said.
"Every game — whether it be at recess, gym class or on their own time — should always to be modified so that everyone is included."
Speers started sledge hockey at Drayton Heights Public School where he teaches three years ago after students from the school went to watch two games of the World Sledge Hockey Championships in Toronto.
"The kids had such a great response to it that we wanted to take it that one step further," he said.
Speers and his wife had previously spearheaded a fundraising campaign to get two fully accessible playgrounds in Fergus and Elora, an effort prompted by their son Asher, who has Down Syndrome.
"He's kind of the inspiration behind a lot of this," Speers said. "That went really well and we asked ourselves 'what can we do next?'"
The first year was just at Drayton Heights, with equipment borrowed and rented.
"The response was so great from our community and our school that we said 'let's see about taking this board-wide," he said.
Polycorp of Elora came on board as a big sponsor, buying all the necessary equipment, and the board and school cover the ice time, bussing and substitute teacher costs.
By next year, it will be almost board-wide, with eight programs at the elementary level and one at the high school level.
"I doesn't matter whether or not you've skated before. Everyone's included and everyone is able to do it," Speers said.
"We just wanted to push inclusion and don't judge a book by its cover and that we need to modify games to make sure everyone is included."
