Surrey Schools explores accessible initiatives for National AccessAbility Week

Students at South Meridian Elementary have taken to boccia, thanks to an initiative by Student Support to provide six elementary schools with equipment and make the Paralympic sport accessible to students of all ability levels. The initiative is just one of many efforts by the district in furthering its three-year accessibility plan.

This Sunday marks the start of National AccessAbility Week (NAAW), and the district is using this time to recognize the valuable contributions and leadership of Canadians with disabilities while highlighting initiatives to improve accessibility throughout Surrey and White Rock schools.

Founded in 1988 as National Access Awareness Week, the annual celebration was inspired by Rick Hansen’s Man in Motion World Tour, in which the Paralympic athlete travelled more than 40,000 kilometres by wheelchair through 36 countries over 26 months. The week is an opportunity to raise awareness about issues around accessibility and inclusion, and highlight the work of individuals, organizations and communities to remove barriers.

Earlier this spring, the district’s Student Support department introduced the accessible sport of boccia to six elementary schools, thanks to a generous donation from Variety - the Children’s Charity of BC and support from OneAbility Games. The groups provided equipment and instructions for adaptations and activities to easily implement the game in each school, creating an environment where students of all abilities can play together.

“We have quite a few students with different physical and mobile abilities, and so I saw it as a great opportunity to give a new access point for them to connect with peers,” said Andrea LaPointe, principal of South Meridian Elementary, one of the six schools to join the initiative.

Similar to bocce and curling, boccia sees players attempt to throw leather balls closer to a white target ball than their opponents. Players can use their hands or feet to move a ball, or use the assistance of a ramp to roll a ball into play.

Boccia is a Paralympic sport, and LaPointe said a number of students became motivated to try it after watching videos of Paralympic athletes playing it.

“What makes it so inclusive is that it’s presented in a really independent way, and that has really boosted the confidence of some of our students,” she said. “In my time in education, there’ve been a few things that light up kids’ eyes so quickly as this.”

LaPointe said about 25 students now play boccia regularly at her school, and she’s seen firsthand how the sport has helped numerous students connect socially and build skills to work collaboratively.

“We’ve had students invite friends during friendship groups, we’ve had our IST and child and youth care worker use it as a tool for social engagement,” she said. “Some students like it because it’s something new and different, some like the physical challenge and developing their motor skills, and some like having the opportunity to engage with peers in a really comfortable way. It meets the needs of lots of different students.”

Based on the success at South Meridian and other schools in just a few short months, Student Support is set to expand the boccia offering in the fall, providing another six sets to elementary schools in the 2026-27 school year.

Surrey Schools continues to further the initiatives of its three-year accessibility plan, actively working to identify, prevent and remove barriers for students and adults with disabilities in our schools. The district also gathers feedback through two accessibility surveys about the plan and potential barriers to accessibility at schools and district buildings.

For more information on National AccessAbility Week, click here or visit the Rick Hansen Foundation website.