Posted by JOSH FLORY on 2/26/2021
A gift from the Legacy Parks Foundation will help students at Dogwood Elementary take advantage of their school's outdoor classrooms and trail.
On Thursday, the Foundation presented the school with a GRIT Freedom Chair, a child-sized adaptive wheelchair that includes a hand-powered drive train and is designed for use in outdoor spaces.
Carly Pearson, a local handcycling athlete and advocate for people with disabilities, demonstrated a full-size version of the chair at Dogwood on Thursday morning, and said it provides a resource for more people to experience the outdoors.
“We want to be able to make (every child) feel fully included,” Pearson said. “So the way to do that is to at least provide the equipment so we can get the entire class outside.”
The chair was purchased by Legacy Parks Foundation, which is also raising money to help make the nature trail behind the school into an adaptive, all-access route.
The Mac Post Arboretum is located behind Dogwood, and includes a walking trail, markers for dozens of different tree species and six outdoor classrooms.
Lizzy Revans, a K-5 special education teacher, said the Freedom Chair will help students easily access the Dogwood trail, even if they previously were not able to do so.
"It's an amazing thing, and we can't wait (to use it)," she added.
