The Let's Play Program is the result of a cooperative effort between BC Wheelchair Basketball Society (BCWBS), the Rick Hansen Foundation and the Province of British Columbia. It is intended to help kids with mobility limitations to become physically active early in life by helping to establish the fundamental skills, knowledge and abilities needed to confidently participate in play, sport and physical education with their peers.
The program is directed at children in British Columbia 8 years of age and under with mobility related disabilities and provides them with:
- An RGK sports wheelchair specifically designed for young children
- Equipment for the wheelchair (cushion, straps, etc.)
- Adapted sports equipment for program facilitators
- Training and best practices guide for teachers, parents, recreation programmers and other facilitators
- An online resource that includes activities to build knowledge, skills and abilities
- Expertise and guidance for organizations that want to deliver inclusive physical activity programs
- Additional resources and links
Please note, this program does not explicitly develop or deliver any programming – this is the responsibility of local communities. BCWBS is available to assist in this endeavour.
Why sport wheelchairs?
The sport wheelchair provides a freedom for those with mobility impairments that may have kept them from actively participating in physical activities with their peers in the past. It provides able bodied children the opportunity to enjoy fun activities and gain a greater awareness of the challenges their friends face. This approach helps promote opportunities to engage parents of children with and without disabilities into a dialogue that raises the playing field for inclusion. The training and online resource ensures that kids, parents, teachers and others will have tools to effectively deliver safe and fun programs. Ultimately, this will lead to a lifelong love of physical activity and ensure an enduring healthy lifestyle.
To meet the objectives of the program, BCWBS has purchased over 100 wheelchairs of various dimensions to be distributed throughout the province. These chairs are destined for specific children who applied to the program in 2010. The application process also helped to identify specific communities where demand for programming existed. In cooperation with local organizations, BCWBS is assisting community stakeholders to develop inclusive physical activity programs and provide them with the resources described above.
If you are in a community where you think having these resources would benefit local children, please Contact Us.
If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of physical activity for children with disabilities, check out this article - PDF.