Children’s park will never be complete without those swings which children love to ride! There are even times in which children would bawl and cry when they cannot ride the swings due to the other children flocking around the besought park attraction. The thrill and excitement one gets from riding the swings are truly one of the greatest experience a child could have.
Thankfully, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, there is now a wheelchair accessible swing at Creekmore Park which ensures that all of their town’s children will be able to have fun swinging their heart out. The Creekmore Park has installed a special type of swing customized for those in a wheelchair. This way, even children with disability won’t feel left out and will have fun as well as the other kids in the park.
“Wheeee,” A 10-year-old wheelchair bound boy named Seth Allen, squealed in delight as he enjoyed the newly installed handicap-accessible swing.
His mother, Trish, is pleased and thankful that such facility is available in their park. She is very happy to hear her son’s laughter filling the air. Just like any doting mother, Trish swished her phone out and immortalized her son’s happy memory in a video.
Afterwards, Trish uploaded the video on her Facebook account and shared the good news to her friends. Seth’s genuine happiness and contagious laughter instantly became viral and achieved more than 4 million views.
“That smile and his laughter have reached a thousand people and last I checked, it was a hundred thousand,” Trish shared. “It was pretty remarkable.”
Seth, the 10-year-old boy bound on his wheelchair, has cerebral palsy, autism, epilepsy, and microcephaly due to the stroke he suffered from when he was still an infant. According to the doctors who examined Seth, he would remain in a vegetative state in his whole life. Fortunately, Seth is determined to prove them wrong.
“He wasn`t sure what to think because he had no experience with anything like this before,” Trish said. “We put him on it and as you can see in the video, he was excited.” True enough, Seth is not afraid of trying out new experiences. Based from his excited laughter, you could tell that he is having the time of his life.
“We`ve always had to do our own thing as far as making the world accessible to Seth, so something like this coming along sort of takes the burden off of us,” Trish said, grateful for the thoughtful swings for the handicapped. “It`s one less battle for us in having to make the world accessible to him.”
A committee from the First Presbyterian Church in Fort Smith, in cooperation with the staff of Creekmore Park, made the installation of swings for the handicapped possible.
“We wanted to find a way to give back to our community and recognize all people with disabilities and even those who use cans and cannot hear well,” Keley Simpson, missions facilitator shared the purpose behind their meaningful project. All in all, the church donated $2,000 for the swing.
“One of our members actually uses a wheelchair, so she certainly understands what it`s like to not have things available or accessible,” Keley added, explaining what inspired their mission.
Meanwhile, Seth’s loving and supportive parents are hoping that the church’s project will set the trend for other parks to install the swings for handicapped as well. This way, every kid, with or without disability, will be able to enjoy all of the park’s amenities.
“We`re the voice of these kids and they can only get as much of the world as we can give to them,” Trish stated. “Don`t be afraid to step out there and speak up for your child to give them opportunities that other children have, as well.”
Watch the heartwarming video below to witness Seth, the 10-year-old wheelchair bound boy, who is having the best time of his life riding the swing for the handicapped. His contagious laughter filling the air, will surely paint a smile on your face as well!
Photos and Video | Trish Allen via ABC15 Arizona