Brampton's first accessible Halloween village draws hundreds to Paul Palleschi Rec Centre

Hundreds of families came out Saturday to Brampton's first Halloween Accessibility Village, held outside the Paul Palleschi Recreation Centre. The flat, low-barrier, low-sensory space was built to look like a residential street, so kids with mobility issues and other disabilities could trick-or-treat without stairs or sudden scares.

Organizer Gunjan Sharda said most homes have accessibility barriers that leave some children overwhelmed. "Halloween should be for children of all abilities," she said. "If you just aim to reduce those barriers, you can make Halloween more inclusive." The event was run with RE/MAX Canada and Treat Accessibly Canada, which says it has made 300,000 doorsteps across the country more accessible since 2017.

Sara Martins, mother of two boys with special needs, said stairs are often the biggest hurdle on trick-or-treat night. Her son Miles, 4, uses a wheelchair. April Creamer, whose 12-year-old stepdaughter Daria uses a wheelchair, said the village let her daughter move freely without worrying about crowds or traffic. Both said awareness is growing but change is not happening fast enough.