Robotics program re-imagined at Langford school to adapt toys of children with disabilities

Students are seen in Belmont Secondary School's after robotics Makers Club.

Some students at Belmont Secondary School in Langford are re-imagining what robots can do—and the results are making a huge difference in the daily lives of their peers

The school’s robotics program launched at the beginning of this school year. Patrick McManus oversees the program and is also married to a speech-language pathologist working within the Sooke School District.

“She has a good understanding of some of the struggles that some kids have with accessibility,” said McManus.

With that understanding in mind, McManus’ robotics program is different from others in neighbouring schools. It’s being labelled as a “Makers Club”—instead of creating robots to battle in a ring against other robots, the students are using their skills to help others.

“This is a robotic feeding arm because there is a student in our district that has problems controlling their arm muscles to scoop food,” said James Chong, a Grade 10 student in the program.

The kids are creating devices that their peers within the district with cognitive or physical disabilities can use that will improve their lives as well as their educational experience.

“We want to help society, to change society, to make it better so everybody can have freedom,” said Chong.

“I used to play a lot with the dog toys, I used to have my own dog and I would walk it around,” said Omkar Seth, another Grade 10 student in the Makers Club.

The students are also adapting toys that were purchased at second-hand stores throughout the West Shore to be used by younger students in the district with physical disabilities.

The adapted toys end up in a lending library that all teachers in School District 62 have access to.

The Sooke School District is made up of 14,000 students, more than 2,500 of whom receive individualized education supports.

“For these kids, if they want an accessible toy they can be $200 or $300 just for a simple toy, and we’re doing it for $3 or $4,” said McManus.

“First we need to think about how we’re going to change the toy, or attach a button,” said Sam Dutkewich, who is also in the Makers Club.

It can be a time-consuming task often leading to the students needing to rebuild the internal guts of the toys they are attempting to adapt.

“We work Fridays after school from 2:30 to 4ish,” said Omkar Seth.

The feeding arm took roughly four months to perfect, although the students say that when they see the joy on the faces of the students using their devices, all those hours spent were worth it.

“It makes me feel like I’m helping people and making their life better,” said Dutkewich.

“It really just triggers my heart deeply and I feel so happy that everybody can have an equal chance to do whatever they want,” said Chong.

“It is like I’ve made a contribution to society,” said Seth.

What began as a simple after school robotics programs has now turned into a labour of love for the students knowing that their efforts are making a huge difference in the lives of their fellow students within the Sooke School District.