‘Good for one, good for all’: West Edmonton community builds accessible park for student

A west Edmonton neighbourhood is celebrating the culmination of five years of rallying behind a student with disabilities who now has a playground built with him in mind.

Francis Lahaye is a kid as bright as the yellow sunglasses he wore on Saturday at the newly redesigned Lynnwood Playground. He’s quick to make a ‘6,7’ joke and he loves to hang out with his friends at the nearby school.

Francis has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, so in past years, joining his friends at the playground has been a struggle – one his dad, Vincent, described as “heartbreaking.”

“(Francis) describes sitting in his chair by himself, watching everybody else play. It’s a very isolating feeling,” Vincent said on Saturday.

The old playground’s structure made navigating the ground like “riding a bike on the beach,” he added.

So, five years ago, the community saw that need and reimagined the park.

Read more: https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/good-for-one-good-for-all-west-edmonton-community-builds-accessible-park-for-student/