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‘It just means a lot, and they’ll carry this with them all year’
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Dozens of Calgary families who typically have to avoid trick-or-treating on Halloween night got the chance to do so — some for the first time — on Saturday afternoon.
In its second year running in Calgary, Treat Accessibly’s Halloween Village took over 10A Street N.W. in Kensington, with residents moving their candy bowls to the ends of their driveways, allowing kids with disabilities to stay closer to their parents and get their candy fix from the sidewalk. The event gave children who are generally unable to go door-to-door in pursuit of something sweet a chance to participate in the annual tradition.
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Callie Clark took her sons, infant Caleb and elementary-school-aged Emmanuel — the latter of whom has autism and ADHD — out trick-or-treating for the first time this year, thanks to the Halloween Village’s efforts to make it accessible to them.
“It just means a lot, and they’ll carry this with them all year,” said Clark.
Something as simple as a doorstep can prove a barrier that makes trick-or-treating impossible for kids with mobility challenges, and approaching unfamiliar homes and people can be tough for children with intellectual or sensory disabilities. Clark says a typical Halloween night, with its flashing lights and busy streets, isn’t feasible for Emmanuel due to his sensory issues.
“Families of kids with extra needs, that’s the first thing we think about when planning pretty much anything, and it means (there are) a lot of places we just can’t go,” said Clark. “It’s not even let’s go for 10 minutes and push ourselves and then we’ll have to leave. The stress is just not worth it, so it’s kind of isolating. It’s really nice to come out and have this community feeling.”
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The calmer environment provided by the Halloween Village gave Emmanuel — and his mom — his first shot at experiencing Halloween.
“It feels normal, especially after having the pandemic decimate any sense of normal, especially for kids who lost all their aides in the schools; this is bringing back normal,” said Clark. “This is really important — it should be a priority almost in city budgets … It makes them feel a part of the community again.”
Clark would like to see more holidays and traditions celebrated in an inclusive manner on more streets.
“Ritual and tradition — normally, without the pandemic — is something we kind of miss out on with social isolation and medical conditions,” said Clark. “The pandemic just kicked us when we were down; we need lots of loving, so keep this community in your thoughts.”
Nationwide, Treat Accessibly is aiming to do just that, and not just at special events. It says its advocacy resulted in 150,000 Canadian homes setting up accessible trick-or-treating stations on Halloween night in 2022, and hopes to see that number as high as 400,000 by 2025.
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The organization, set up by Toronto’s Rich Padulo and his family in 2017, has garnered several large sponsorships over the last few years, including RE/MAX, Canadian Tire and Kinder, helping it to offer free lawn signs for homes looking to participate.
Signs are available at local RE/MAX locations, and are printable via the organization’s website.
Homeowners on 10A Street are fully on board with the movement and hope to see the Halloween Village back again next year.
“What I really love is how delighted so many of the parents are,” said homeowner John Johnston. “The kids are clearly having great time, but I think it means so much to the parents who finally get to go trick-or-treating — they’ve probably been wanting to do this for so long, and this is a place they can do it safely and accessibly … I just think it’s a brilliant idea.”
mrodriguez@postmedia.com
X: @MichaelRdrguez
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