For many children, their first interaction with someone who has a disability or medical complexity happens at a young age. That’s why it’s so important to teach children early on about others who may look, move, or communicate differently. But half of parents in the GTA say it’s not easy to talk to their children about how to interact with their medically complex peers.
Enter Safehaven, a Toronto-based not-for-profit supporting individuals with medical complexities and disabilities. With 75 per cent of parents in the GTA agreeing that they are in need of resources that help them have conversations with their kids around medical complexities, Safehaven has done just that through its new board game, Where Hope Lives. The game fosters an environment where parents can have open and honest conversations with their kids about disabilities and the importance of inclusivity.
Most importantly, the game offers an idea of what it’s like to move through the world as someone with medical complexities.
It’s not just a game, it’s a hands-on learning tool. Accompanying each game is A Guide to Inclusivity: Having Tough Conversations with your Kids About Medical Complexities, a guide to prompt and support parents through conversations with their kids about their medically complex peers.
While playing the board game, players journey to Safehaven by collecting different Wild Cards and Road Blocks that people with medical complexities often encounter. This is where education comes in.
For example, one Wild Card may read “you’re going to a fully accessible restaurant with your family, you can sit at the table with everyone you love.” However, a roadblock may read “your favourite nurse wasn’t working at the hospital when you had your appointment,” resulting in a skipped turn.
Both scenarios open up discussions about how they impact people with disabilities, and how the situation can often be overlooked by people without disabilities.
Safehaven Spokesperson and Disability Advocate & Inclusive Leadership Expert Lindsey Mazza says people without disabilities may often take for granted going to a restaurant that might not be fully accessible.
“That’s a teachable moment. Not every restaurant is accessible, and that’s a powerful thing for both parents and children to learn. Especially here in Canada, where we like to think of ourselves as one of the most accessible countries in the world,” she told Now Toronto.
The goal of the game is to build your Safehaven character as you make your way along the path to Safehaven. Throughout the journey, you’ll earn points by collecting Safe Space and Wild cards. Although the player with the most points at the end wins the game, all players get the opportunity to learn more about medical complexities throughout their journey.
While playing the game, parents also become prepared to have these conversations, something Mazza says is crucial, having grown up with Holt-Oram Syndrome, a rare genetic condition.
“I think parents who have not lived it or experienced it personally really struggle to speak to their children about it,” Mazza said.
In fact, 40 per cent of GTA parents note that they are worried they’ll say the wrong thing so they prefer to avoid the subject with their kids altogether.
“It wasn’t children that failed me growing up, it was the adults in the room who weren’t having those conversations with their children, who would allow children to walk into the room and stare and point,” she said.
Mazza says without the proper discussions that the game offers, children with disabilities and medical complexities will only continue to be separated in social settings. She hopes the game can help open eyes, and bring changes that are urgently needed.
“This should be happening at home, in a safe space, kids are just curious, so once they ask the question, they understand, then they’re cool to just be friends with everybody,” she said.
Where Hope Lives can be found at safehavenstore.ca beginning today.
