Treat Accessibly Halloween movement grows in Oshawa, Hamilton and other Canadian cities

A grassroots movement encouraging Canadians to create a safe, accessible, inclusive and just a little less scary trick-or-treating experience is gaining support across the country.

With more than 400,000 children in Canada having one or more disabilities that may prevent them from enjoying trick-or-treating with their siblings and other kids, the Treat Accessibly movement – the world’s first accessible holiday tradition – was launched in 2017. By 2020 40,000 families were on board and that number grew to 150,000 Canadian homes by 2022.

The goal, declared a statement from the Treat Accessibly movement, is to create a safe and fun Halloween experience for all kids, with and without disabilities, and their families, with parents encouraged to get in on the fun and wear a costume as well.

“We want to let everyone know that an accessible and inclusive Halloween is the best kind of Halloween … for everyBODY, every year.”

There are also Treat Accessibly Halloween Villages in nine Canadian cities, including Hamilton, Toronto and Ottawa, to allow children with disabilities and their families to experience accessible trick-or-treating with each other and with local neighbourhood kids.

Providing an accessible trick-or-treating experience is simple and easy:

• Distribute candy from an obstacle-free location, like the end of your driveway
• Make sure the path to your trick-or-treating station is well lit and clear of hazards
• Cut out the strobe lights and high-pitched, sudden loud noises
• Ensure pets are kept safely away from the front of your house

Oshawa residents looking to provide an accessible experience for trick-or-treaters this year can pick up a free Treat Accessibly lawn sign to display from City Hall, the Civic, Donovan, Delpark, Northview and South Oshawa community centres and four public library branches.

Treat Accessibly 2024 is supported by Canadian Tire, Kinder and RE/MAX. Visit treataccessibly.com to learn more.