Let’s Play is a province-wide program operated by BCWBS to assist kids 0-8 with mobility limitations to become physically active early in life.

Problema

Let’s Play (www.letsplaybc.ca) is a province-wide program which helps kids 0-8 with mobility limitations to become physically active early in life. While everyone understands the longterm health and social benefits of getting kids involved in physical activity from a very early age, it is generally taken for granted that all kids have opportunities to play with other kids and take part in physical education activities and organized sports. But the truth is that young children with disabilities are far too often faced with inaccessible playgrounds, teachers lacking the resources to offer inclusive activities, and needless exclusion from competitive sports. The program is now active in Prince George, Kamloops, Kelowna, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, the Lower Mainland, Powell River, and Victoria.

Solución

The Let’s Play program helps to give these kids the ability to confidently participate in play, sport, and physical education with their peers. It provides kids with specifically designed wheelchairs, equipment and training for facilitators, and maintains a comprehensive website which provides resources for building knowledge, skills and abilities. The sport wheelchairs allow kids with and without disabilities the freedom to enjoy fun activities together and raise the bar for awareness and inclusion for them as well as their parents, teachers, and other facilitators. The program has many support tools and resources in addition to the sport equipment and is essential to the well-being of young children with physical disabilities. The children’s and their communities’ ongoing and future success depend on embedding inclusive physical activity into the school system and child development centres, more inclusive recreation programming, and raising awareness of parents and facilitators.

Ejemplo

Ten schools in the Kamloops School District signed up to take part in the wheelchair program last year. Each school had the chairs for a two-week period before they were moved to the next school. While they had the wheelchairs, all students in the school had access to them during their PE periods. Teachers taught the students a two-week “wheelchair sports” unit. Students had the opportunity to try out a variety of activities and games in the chairs including, but not limited to, basketball, relay races, tag, octopus in the garden, and hockey. Teachers and students were trained by a district coordinator as to the proper usage of the chairs on their first day with the chairs. This was helpful in familiarizing the students with their safe operation and care. The teachers then accessed the “Activity Guide” provided by Let’s Play for more activities and games that they could teach the students. The wheelchairs were used from 8:30 until 2:30 almost every day. Often they were also used during lunchtime and after school with teacher supervision. The chairs were extremely popular and over 20 schools have signed up for the coming year. This will account for more than 5000 students having access to the chairs in the coming year. The Let's Play wheelchair has some unique advantages. The wheels have camber (are angled outwards) to make turning easier and faster, a fifth wheel in the back to stop from flipping backwards, high pressure tires built for speed, and a sturdy frame for taking on contact. They look cooler, move better and are built for smaller bodies and shorter arms.

Mercado

Let’s Play is currently a unique program filling a substantial void in our health and education system in identifying kids with disabilities and giving them the fundamental knowledge, skills, and abilities to let them participate in play, sport, and physical education with their peers, resulting in lifelong healthy lifestyles. Educators have long indicated that they need support and resources to be able to allow for inclusion in physical activity, but no other program like ours seems to exist, which is another reason for its indispensability.