Knocking down barriers to physical activity
by Carol Todd
A symposium held in Regina over the past weekend has shone the light on the innovative ways activities can be adapted to improve the quality of life for people with physical disabilities.
The three-day Adapted Physical Activities Symposium (APAS) at the RCMP Heritage Centre featured a wide cross-section of speakers and far-ranging discussions on everything from athletes to diet to sleep, all aimed at finding ways to improve wellness, quality of life and independence for the physically disabled. This was the third such symposium, with Saskatchewan and Alberta joining forces to create an interprovincial symposium that alternates between the two provinces.
“We wanted to bring some attention and awareness to the adaptive physical activities that are out there in Saskatchewan, and also things that might be out there that you might not have heard of or not know the benefits of,” said Owen Carlson, executive director of First Steps Wellness Centre, one of the organizers, and the chair of the conference. His hope is that the conference will help “knock down as many barriers as possible“that may be keeping physically disabled people from being physically active.
The conference brought together industry professionals, educators and students, and people with disabilities, as well as representatives of policy makers, advocacy groups and community organizations. Carlson said the organizing committee also came from a broad section of organizations. “The organizing committee is very diverse, so we wanted people of all stages and all physical disabilities,” he said, adding the conference focused on physical disabilities only.
Carlson said the symposium covered a broad spectrum of issues, including speakers from the sports world and the scientific community. “So, whether it be recreation or physical activity or high performance sport, we’re sort of trying to cover all those,” he said.
Among the science experts was Dr. Kristin Musselman, of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, who discussed functional electrical stimulation (FES), the use of low energy electrical pulses to artificially generate body movements in individuals who have been paralyzed due to injury to the central nervous system.
Saskatchewan-born Carla Nicholls, the para team coach with Athletics Canada and two-time Olympic team coach, was one of the several sports-related speakers, while representatives of Sask Sport brought information about potential funding for individuals or organizations to help address another of the barriers Carlson speaks of. “There are actually some pretty good funding opportunities now to get your child or yourself involved in disability sport, because we know cost can be a barrier,” he said.
While the science added to participants’ knowledge base, it was the personal testimonials that really brought the message home for attendees. Chris Cederstrand, a motivational speaker and firefighter from Martensville who lost a leg during a construction accident, said that “scars should remind you of where you have been; they shouldn’t dictate where you go.” He took his love of hockey back to the ice, becoming a Team Canada sledge hockey player, helping his team earn a silver medal at the 2015 World Championships. In sledge, or para, players sit on specially designed sleds with skate blades under the seat. Two sticks are used to not only pass, stickhandle and shoot the puck, but also to propel and maneuver the sledges.
And, Regina-born Bobbie Cherepuschak took aim at the issue of leisure and recreation for people with disabilities. As part of the panel “Pathways to Recreation, Sport and Leisure,” Cherepuschak spoke about his experiences hunting from a wheelchair. Born with Spinabifida, he is an avid hunter and sportsman, and an advocate for adapted activities “beyond the norm.” Carlson said that having people like Cherepuschak helps people understand that people with physical disabilities also face barriers when it comes to leisure activities. “You think, ‘How is that possible to go hunting in a wheelchair? But he’s got everything adapted; he’s got everything figured out,” Carlson said.
While the conference cast a light on many of the issues surrounding adapting various activities to help people with physical disabilities enjoy a full and quality life, there remains a need for rehabilitation services such as those provided by the Reginabased First Steps Wellness Centre. Opened in 2010, the centre offers rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injuries as a follow-up after in-patient rehab. “It’s sort of a post-rehab rehab centre. This is made to complement inpatient rehab,” Carlson said. A children’s program was added in 2016 and the centre has now expanded into Vancouver and Manitoba, with another planned for Quebec.