Magnus Batara recently scored nine gold medals in the 2012 BC Summer Games Special Olympics. The 20-year-old autistic swimmer has excelled since picking up the sport six years ago.
However, when it came to sports and disability while at high school, the two seemed to be part of different circles, rarely overlapping. The parents of the Steveston-London graduate struggled to find resources for youth with disabilities who wanted to enroll in sports, whether in, or outside, of school.
"It was difficult to find out what events were going on," said Magnus's father, Mario Batara. "There is a general lack of awareness when it comes to physical activity and disability at the schools, even if it meant just putting up signs about what was going on in the community."
In the past few years, Richmond Society for Community Living (RSCL) has been frequenting elementary and secondary schools across the city to raise awareness about disability amongst youth to help people like Magnus Batara and his peers.
"We want to help schools and kids gain a better understanding about disability," said Sue Graf, director of children's services and quality assurance at RSCL. "Hopefully this type of awareness can lead to inclusion and more partnership between the schools and other community groups."
Last year, the RSCL visited three elementary schools (Kingswood, Byng and Walter Lee) and three secondary schools (Cambie, McMath and Steveston-London).
"We hope to visit more next year, but with job action it was difficult to organize last year," said Graf.
She said she's noticed a rise in kids with disability participating in community sports from a young age, but believes extra-curricular sports at schools are less inclusive.
"There just needs to be more awareness and understanding about disabilities," said Graf. "There can absolutely be more physical activities at schools that include disability. And we've been working hard with schools to create this awareness."
Younger staff - in order to better relate to students - visit about four to five schools a year and talk about the different programs available. They engage students in various activities to increase their levels of understanding such as travelling in a wheelchair, or wearing oven mitts.
"The kids generally respond well to these activities," said Graf.
The Richmond School Board offers a variety of services in regards to learning support systems and education assistance, but director of instruction for learning services Kathy Champion admits when it comes to sports, it gets a bit tricky.
"It's difficult because many kids with disabilities already have afterschool programs they need to go to," said Champion. "So there might not be as much interest. Some do join extracurricular activities though, and they're included to the degree possible."
However, the school board continues to raise awareness surrounding disability by partnering with organizations such as RSCL and hosting awareness days. For example, Down Syndrome Day is March 31.
"I think with the right amount of knowledge, we can continue to make Richmond schools more inclusive," said Graf.
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