Students at Kanaka Creek Elementary got to try playing basketball this past week, in a wheelchair.
The B.C. Wheelchair Basketball Society brought the demonstration to the Maple Ridge school, encouraging students to get moving and learn new skills.
The week-long visit was arranged through the Let’s Play Program and was arranged by Douglas College’s Therapeutic Recreation program.
The Let’s Play Program started as a cooperative effort between B.C. Wheelchair Basketball Society, the Rick Hansen Foundation, and the province.
The organization, founded in 2009, strives to help kids with physical disabilities increase their physical literacy, motor skills, and confidence to participate in sport and physical education with their peers. The aim is to help teachers, parents, and coaches adapt and modify activities to make them more inclusive.
“All kids need to be physically active,” said Marni Abbott-Peter, a four-time Paralympian and director of the Let’s Play Program.
“Children and youth with disabilities need better access to sport and recreation. The Let’s Play Program is designed to do just that.”
Last year, ParticipACTION reported that only 35 per cent of children five to 17 years old are getting the recommended physical activity.
The proportion of kids with disabilities meeting the guidelines is even less, said Sarah Moore, with ParticipACTION.