Every year in Canada, close to 400,000 children have difficulty participating in Halloween festivities because of a handicap. This night dedicated to candy collecting can be a major challenge to these children and they may not fully enjoy their experience.
The solution: encourage all of us to do what we can to make this holiday more inclusive! And this is exactly what the Treat Accessibly project aims to do!
Here are few ideas you can implement to make sure no child feels left out and that all those little monsters, vampires and princesses can participate in this annual candy harvesting spree.
An Obstacle-Free Front Lawn
For easy candy collecting, it is important that your front yard be free of objects (toys or decorations) or landscaping components (large rocks, flower containers, etc.) that might prevent kids or their parents from getting to your door. Vehicles can also be an obstacle for people with a disability. On Halloween night, park your car in the street to provide an unobstructed pathway to your home.
A Well-Lit Walkway
Make sure the way to where you are handing out candy is adequately lit so that the path is safe and easy to navigate.
A Spooky, but Welcoming Decor
Halloween can be intense for children who are more sensitive to external stimuli, such as children with autism spectrum disorders. To be certain that you are providing an inclusive environment, avoid strobe lights and sudden and high pitch noises that might frighten some kids. If your haunted house is equipment with such lights, make sure you can easily turn them off when needed. In this way, a youngster who might not appreciate this level of visual stimulation won’t have any trouble walking up to your candy stand.
Moreover, when a child with a visual impairment comes up to you to receive their treat, tell them exactly what you are dropping into their bag. In the case of a child with a hearing impairment, show them the candy before placing it in their bag.
Access to Your Front Door
The steps leading up to your front door are probably the biggest physical barrier that children with special needs and their parents will have to deal with. If you want to provide an accessible Halloween experience to all, move your candy collecting station to the bottom of the stairs. Some homeowners even set up a table at the end of their laneway or hand out treats to kids from the trunk of their car.
No Pets
In can be intimidating for a person with reduced mobility—who may feel vulnerable or nervous in the presence of animals—to approach a residence where dogs (or other domesticated animals) move about freely. It’s best to keep them out of the way, in a separate room or in your arms, while the little trick-or-treaters are going from door to door.
Accessible Home Lawn Sign
If you have turned your home into an inclusive space for all children, you can display the “Accessible Trick or Treating” sign on your property’s yard. It indicates to families in your neighbourhood that your house is a safe and barrier-free environment for a kid living with a disability. You can get a free sign at a participating RE/MAX office or print your own by downloading it from this site.
As you can see, it is easy to adapt your front yard to the needs of all little trick-or-treaters and help them celebrate this holiday! RE/MAX is proud to support the Halloween Accessible project. To learn more, visit the Treat Accessibly website.
Have a happy and safe Halloween!