Students in the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) are learning about accessibility, inclusion and acceptance in a new and cutting-edge way: through sledge hockey.
The board has initiated a new sledge hockey program for elementary schools that will be rolled out throughout the entire board over the next few years.
Program facilitator and Drayton Heights Public School teacher Andy Speers said one of the major program goals is to teach students not to “judge a book by its cover.”
“Just because someone might have a disability, whether it be a special need or a physical disability, doesn’t mean they can’t be a phenomenal athlete,” Speers said.
“And they’re going to learn that from how tough this game actually is.”
The other goal is to highlight the word “inclusion.”
“No one should ever have to be left out of a game,” Speers said. “You can always modify a game to make sure that everyone’s included.”
The new UGDSB program will be available for students from Grades 4 to 8 with each school coach having the discretion to decide which classes are included based on the time available.
Each student will have a sledge with blades set about six inches apart beneath the bucket seat and a u-shaped bolt at the foot end. Players will also have a pair of sticks with picks on the end to propel themselves across the ice.
The school board owns a class set of 30 sledges and equipment largely due to sponsorship from Polycorp Inc. in Elora.
“I emailed the head of Polycorp Andrew Haber just to say, ‘We’re kind of thinking about doing this, what’s your thought on this, are you thinking that maybe you might want to throw some sponsorship money towards it?’” Speers explained.
“And he said, ‘Not only do I want to throw some sponsorship money at it, I want to pay for the entire program.’ So … within one email it was paid for just like that.”
Speers had nothing but good things to say about Polycorp’s sponsorship.
“They believe in the causes of accessibility and inclusion and I think that they’re a special company and that they want to be involved and they see how it affects children in the community and not just ones with special needs,” he said.
The program ran for the first time at Drayton Heights Public School at the beginning of February. Speers said there is one student who participated in the program who is confined to a wheelchair and another who has cerebral palsy – both had previous sledge hockey experience.
“For the first time in their entire lives in a sport setting they are like the best players,” Speers said.
“And to see the smile on their face … if we were going to pick teams they would be captains or they would be picked first because they were just that much better than everyone else and I think that … speaks volumes.”
The program also allows all participating students to learn what it’s like to have a disability while they’re on the ice.
“They can’t help but learn in that kind of setting,” Speers said. “I never want to say that someone has the experience of having a physical (disability), because no one ever does unless they actually do, but still, for those two hours when they’re strapped into that sledge and they can’t move … they learn.”
The program was also offered at to JD Hogarth Public School in Fergus at the beginning of March and it will be with Minto-Clifford Public School the week after March break.
The idea is that there will be eight trained coaches throughout the board, two each from north Wellington, Centre Wellington, Guelph and Dufferin. Next year the program will be rolled out in Guelph and the following year it will be rolled out in Dufferin.
JD Hogarth Grade 4 student Maddy Coramack plays hockey and said sledge hockey feels different but it’s fun.
Another Grade 4 student, Cameron Brasard, said he doesn’t skate so sledge hockey is a fun option to get out on the ice.
Eventually the program will be held eight times throughout the year and two schools from each of the four geographical districts will participate.
