(Photo by Stacey Newman)
In life, the little things are often the biggest moments.
Milton now has a wheelchair swing. It’s up at Lions Park and allows for residents in wheelchairs to enjoy a piece of the playground.
It was built after a request was made by local mother Lisa Dreher for her seven-year old son, Meric. She had seen an article about another town getting a similar swing and wanted one here in Milton.
Dreher asked around, was turned down due to either restrictions from COVID-19 or budget issues, and eventually came across Sameera Ali. The Town Councillor for Ward 4 and Ontario Liberal Party Nominee for Milton took Dreher’s request directly to the Town. Within a month, the swing was built.
Dreher was able to take Meric to the swing for the first time on Thursday, November 5th (pictured). She says the moment Meric was able to use a swing set again was an emotional one.
It hasn’t been easy for Meric. Up until about the age of four, Dreher says he was able to walk on his own. Every day, she says, Meric wanted to go to the park. There wasn’t a piece of the playground that was untouched for Meric.
Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with Battens Disease. A neurodegenerative disease that took away his ability to walk, talk, eat, and see. His condition would worsen and the park was no longer very accessible to someone in his position.
The swing set is the perfect early Christmas present.
Dreher says that Meric is still able to hear and that helps with the swing. She says that he was the kind of kid that would sit on the swing and watch and listen to the other kids around him playing. The playground can be serene for a child, and Meric gets a second opportunity to fully experience that kind of serenity.
It’s a gift that really wouldn’t have been possible without Councillor Ali and the Town of Milton, says Dreher. Ali touches on the moment she saw Meric on the swing for the first time.
Councillor Ali adds that she hopes this sparks a trend in having more wheelchair accessible equipment available at local playgrounds. She says that while this swing set was put in for Meric initially, it can be used by anyone who is disabled, of any age.
You can find the wheelchair swing at Lions Park, located at 296 Andrews Trail in Milton, just off of Thompson Road near the Milton Public Library.
