Four-year-old Sam likes basketball. He likes playing with his toy train. He likes to run and swim. Sometimes he doesn’t listen well to his mom.
None of this is particularly remarkable, and that’s exactly the point.
Sam is autistic, but at Servus Place he isn’t treated any differently than anyone else using the space. It is for this reason the facility won the Business Champion Award from the Autism Society of the Edmonton area, which was presented last Thursday afternoon.
Zita Dube-Lockhart, Sam’s mom, said she was inspired to nominate them for the award because of her uniformly positive experience with the facility and its staff.
They spend five or more days each week at Servus Place, which began when he was just one year old. When it became apparent that he was developing atypically, the facility became a safe space for them.
“It’s one of those environments where inclusion isn’t a philosophy, inclusion is an action,” she said. “Ultimately inclusion is creating policies and creating a culture where we don’t have to ask to remove barriers, because the barriers are already non-existent.”
She said her impression is the staff members recognize that every individual has unique needs, a unique family history, a unique socio-economic status, but it’s well understood that every child has the right to play.
A specific example of something seemingly small that can make a huge impact for Sam is the need to wear a wristband when using the facility, because wearing the wristband causes him discomfort.
“There are actually facilities in the (Edmonton) area that told he us would not be able to play there if he didn’t wear the wristband,” Dube-Lockhart said.
When she raised the issue with Servus Place staff, the answer was “No problem,” and that was the end of the conversation.
She said little gestures like that make all the difference for her family, and other families that might have unique needs in one form or another.
“What most people with disabilities need is a slower pace and/or better instructions, and small changes,” she said. “These are small decisions made on a front-line staff level, that you can tell are trickling down from a larger management philosophy and perspective.”
For Jack Ballash, facility manager, the award is an honour for him and his staff but he’s not convinced they’ve done anything special. They treat Sam with the same consideration with which they treat every patron.
“Our approach is to always look at the individual and treat everyone with an equal approach,” he said. “The services we have are inclusive to every age and every ability.”
Coun. Tim Osborne said he’s proud to know the city facility is being recognized for this philosophy of inclusivity.
“It’s become such a wonderful facility for the entire community,” he said. “This is just one of the many examples of how that happens.”
Lauren McGuinness, the society’s manager of programs and services, said she was happy to be able to come present the award in person.
“It means to much to come out and see the spaces that have made such a difference to our families,” she said.
