Wyoming — Thanks to a brand new, full-size wheelchair-accessible bus, Oriole Park Elementary third-grader Zaevion Howell got to ride with his class for a field trip to the pumpkin patch.
Zaevion, who is in the moderate cognitively impaired class and is limited verbally, smiled and waved as he was lifted onto the bus, joining his class on the field trip to Post Family Farms, in Hudsonville.
The bus, one of four new buses purchased last spring, is designed with a wheelchair ramp and two spots that lock in wheelchairs, as well as room for 50 students. Before the purchase, students in wheelchairs were transported separately for field trips, said Joe Steffes, WPS safety, security and transportation director.
“Our children in wheelchairs can actually go on field trips with their classmates in the same bus,” he said. “It’s really, really cool.”
Teacher Mary Courville said the bus is an excellent example of inclusion and led to an “amazing farm day.”
“I think it’s so great that our district does such a great job with inclusion and equity,” said Mary Courville, Zaevion’s teacher. “Making a bus system accessible for all the students lets scholars function with integrity and be with their peers, who also want them to be included.”
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