Student experiences school trips the way they were intended

Student experiences school trips the way they were intended. Bus driver Patrick Woods gets ready to lift Puisand Lai on to the school bus headed for a ski hill in the Barrie area. Lai, who is wheelchair-bound and has to make other travel arrangements, got to finally travel with her Grade 6 classmates. Photo/Steven Der-Garabedian

Puisand attends Grade 6 at Hollycrest Middle School along with her twin sister Ansun.

Until recently, Puisand had been missing out on part of the communal experience of school trips.

Five years ago, a physical disability changed her life forever and she had to start using a wheelchair.

When it was time to go on school trips, Puisand's mother Jenny Lai had to carry her daughter onto the school bus as the buses were not wheelchair accessible.

Lai admits, being carried made Puisand very uncomfortable. Now that she's older, it's no longer possible for her mother to carry her.

To accommodate trips, the school offered Puisand a ride in a separate bus or she had the option of her mom driving her to the destination.

"Last year, they went to a trip to Lake Muskoka. It was a three-hour-long journey. I had to drive her there, but she missed all the briefs on the way," said Lai.

The journey together with her friends is a significant part of the field trip and they take part in a lot of activities such as singing or playing games along the way, which Puisand missed out completely as she traveled alone, said Lai.

Lai wanted her daughter to have that experience along with her friends, so she contacted local school Trustee Chris Glover.

Glover invited Lai to take part in his ward's monthly Special Education Forum comprised of concerned parents, school staff and some high school students who discuss the status of special education in the ward.

She joined the forum in November and shared Puisand's story.

"Everybody in the room started putting their heads together and came up with an idea," Glover said.

One of the parents attending the forum suggested a bus company in Markham that has a bus with a lift and enough room inside to accommodate Puisand's wheelchair along with the rest of her class, the trustee said.

The school rented that bus and last Thursday, Jan. 26. Puisand went on a day trip skiing north of the city - with her classmates along for the ride.

She enjoyed every bit of the journey.

"I talked to my friends on the way and then we went skiing," Puisand said with a shy smile upon her return.

"I am so glad that her mom raised the issue and now we can help others like Puisand." Glover said, "Friends are so important at that age, I'm glad that she will get to experience the journey with her friends. That's what the Special Education Forum was created for - to create equal opportunity for everyone,"

Now the forum is bringing forward a motion to the Toronto District School Board's Special Education Advisory Committee that will ensure that all bus companies with school contracts have at least one wheelchair accessible bus available at all times.

Hollycrest Principal Boris Stoikos is pleased with the developments.

The board has always had options for taking students in wheelchairs to trips in separate buses or wheelchair transits, said Stoikos, but now they can travel with the rest of the class.

"She (Puisand) can now be a part of the anticipation of the journey with her friends. I am very happy that it worked out for her. Jenny has always been an advocate for her daughter. So, good for her!"

Puisand has always been very active in her school and tried to give something back to the community, so the school is really happy to be able to accommodate her, said Stoikos.