Kevin Hyam with CFI Engineering and Consulting and Balir Lukacs, principal of Herald School, pose with a new 600-pound steel swing designed for children in wheelchairs. Hyam donated the inclusive swing to the public school division to allow children to experience a swing without leaving their chairs.--NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
Swinging has always been a popular playground active for children across the country and beyond, and now kids in Medicine Hat who use wheelchairs can now experience that same sensation from the safety of their chairs.
Thanks to a donation from Kevin Hyam with CFI Engineering and Consulting, a massive 600-pound, self-supported swing known as a ‘Freedom Glider’ now sits near Herald School’s playground and will soon be ready for use.
“This is the community that I want to help and give back to,” says Hyam. “Because they’re the ones that are often overlooked. We have great playground facilities all over but we don’t have a swing that allows wheelchair bound children to be part of their peer class.”
Although Hyam humbley won’t disclose the cost of the swing, he told the News he and his wife Brittney were inspired to purchase and donate the swing after witnessing the struggles of children confined to wheelchairs trying to play with others on the playground.
“It just did not sit well with me that you had to remove the student or child from the wheelchair to be able to swing.”
Utilizing his engineering skills Hyam helped design the swing with a company based in Ontario, who produces large steel swings for inclusive playgrounds. Hyam says the swing is one of only two in the province and among eight in the country.
The swing is made from structural steel and is CSA S16 code compliant, ensuring the design of the steel structure and welds meet the highest quality and safety of users. The swing includes a steel ramp that will be set at a slope that meets barrier free requirements.
Once a child has used the ramp to enter the swing the ramp folds up and secures the chair in place using two latches, similar to carnival ride doors that use latches to secure riders. Additionally four large restraining hooks are used to tighten the wheelchair to the base of the swing.
The swing is also a self-standing design, meaning it can be moved around with relative ease.
Herald School principal Blair Lukacs says students have been excitedly waiting for the assembly and safety producers for the new swing to finish so they can try it out with friends.
“A class was actually outside at recess when it was getting delivered,” says Lukacs. “And now they’ve just been waiting to get the green light to get on.”
Students riding the swing will require some assistance from their peers to strap down the floor safely restraints.
“Many of our students would have never been on a swing without getting out of their wheelchair,” explains Lukacs. “So I think the opportunity to have students engage in play and have peers help them with that, it’s just a really cool experience.”
Once the setup has been completed the swing will be open to the public outside school hours and is located on a pavement surface near the school’s playground for easy wheelchair access.
Hyam told the News that local contractor ERB Construction contributed a “significant amount” toward the project.
