Story 2.1 (Truro)

Shannon (she/her), the active living coordinator in Truro, a small community in Atlantic Canada, is driven by a passion to serve her community. Along with a dedicated team of staff, volunteers, parents, siblings, and athletes, she has helped create and maintain an inclusive sledge hockey program over the past decade. This program was born out of a need expressed by residents, who previously had to travel to Halifax for similar opportunities.

The program welcomes participants of all ages and abilities, ensuring everyone can join in. To cater to different skill levels, Shannon and her team divide the ice rink into separate zones. They offer both basic skills training and game-like scrimmages at the same time. Initially, parents were asked to stay during sessions to help ensure safety while staff learned more about specific needs. Although it’s no longer required, many parents still attend, helping newcomers feel comfortable and answering questions. This helps build connections between participants and their families, making the program even more valuable.

Support for the program also comes from the rink manager, who allocates prime ice time and volunteers his time outside work hours to set up the facility each weekend. As the community rallied behind the program and its success grew, it became easier to secure support from local leaders and city council over time.

Story 2.2 (Calgary)

Deanne (she/her) is a Recreation Coordinator for the City of Calgary, with many years of experience in creating programs that include everyone. Over her 38 years working for the city, she has seen many programs change and new ones start. For example, day camps have evolved over time. To make sure these programs are effective, Deanne uses feedback from participants and their families, often gathered through casual conversations. She also checks how accessible the programs are to ensure they can handle the number of people who want to join.

Along with her team, she is always looking for ways to improve. They believe there’s always more to learn and are open to feedback. They regularly talk to other organizations in the area to share ideas and advice. By reflecting on their own experiences, they regularly review program rules, such as how many staff members are needed for each group of participants. They keep everyone informed about any changes they make to ensure that both staff and participants have a great experience.

To find the right staff for her programs, Deanne focuses on recruiting people who are enthusiastic and genuinely care about making sure participants have a great experience. She doesn’t just look for people who know a lot about disabilities or specific activities. Instead, she wants staff who are positive and eager to help. Deanne also asks for feedback from participants to ensure that the staff and programs are a good match.

When needed, Deanne provides her staff with training to help them do their jobs better. An important part of this process is talking to participants and their families about what they need to feel included. This helps staff prepare for challenging situations and makes sure everyone has a positive experience.

Story 2.3 (Calgary)

In Calgary, Deanne (she/her) and her team noticed that many inclusive programs were only for kids and teens. They wanted to change this by offering inclusive programs for adults too. One of their team members has a daughter who has a disability and grew too old for the youth programs, which inspired them to create something new.

At first, these adult programs ran at a deficit, but the team saw this as a necessary step to build trust with participants. They offered a variety of activities such as dance and fitness classes that anyone could join without committing to a whole season. These programs grew as participants invited their friends and shared their positive experiences with others.

To keep participants coming back, the team made sure the programs ran regularly every week, even if only a few people showed up. They also shared funds between different programs so they could offer a wide range of activities, such as arts and sports. This way, programs that were less popular could still be supported by those that were more so.