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Darlene Grand remembers her family living on a crescent in the winter time years ago, and seeing all the neighbourhood kids outside having a ball playing on a mountain of snow left in the middle of the circle by a plow.
Her daughter Julie was stuck inside the house, unable to join in the fun because she needs two canes to walk. Darlene said it was heart-breaking to see her excluded because of a disability.
“It was just such an awful feeling,” she said.
So when the family decided recently they wanted to have a new backyard pool built at their Welland home that Julie could enjoy, it was a must that the pool be one that is accessible and safe for Julie, who is now an adult living with cerebral palsy.
Terry Grand, Julie’s dad, found out quickly that wasn’t going to be an easy task.
Starting several years ago, the retired teacher started calling pool companies across Welland, Hamilton and as far away as Windsor and Toronto hoping to find one able to install an accessible ramp in a steel pool with a vinyl liner.
“They all said they couldn’t,” he recalled.
Ryan Kore of Poolbusters is seen with Terry and Darlene Grand and their daughter Julie with the family’s new pool at their Welland home. (Paul Forsyth/CBC)
Turns out, ramps are generally reserved for concrete pools, outdoor city pools and public facilities such as YMCAs.
The pool companies all came up with the same option for Julie: install a mechanical lift that would swing and lower her, strapped in, into and out of the pool at a cost of up to $20,000, said Terry.
“That’s the last thing Julie would want,” he said. “She said ‘why would I want to be strapped if I can just walk in with a ramp?’ ”
Last winter the family eventually connected with Pelham–based Poolbusters, headed by Ryan Kore. Kore conceded his company also hadn’t built such a ramp and his first suggestion was a lift.
When the family made it clear it had to be a ramp, his company went to work on designing what they believe to be the first such steel and vinyl residential pool in Ontario with a fully accessible ramp.
It meant crunching data and designs to ensure the rise over run ratio was just right so Julie would be able to safely enter and exit the pool with dignity rather than strapped into a lift.
“There was no template to follow,” said Terry.
Kore said even his own suppliers such as the steel manufacturer scratched their heads at first when it came to design options.
“There was some pushback from my suppliers initially on the design,” he said. “The suppliers had never done a design like this.”
A concrete pool would have made a ramp easier, but Kore said that would have doubled the cost over a steel and vinyl pool, with a small 10-foot by 20-foot concrete pool with tiles setting you back $100,000 to start.
Eventually the design, which includes a beach-like entry on the ramp, came together. But the first liner didn’t quite fit and had to be redone so the supplier could recalibrate their equipment, said Kore.
The liner is shown being installed on the Grand family’s new pool, including the accessible ramp on the left. (Terry Grand photo)
By late summer, the family was able to get into the heated saltwater pool complete with a waterfall.
“The first time she [Julie] walked down the ramp, I cried,” said Darlene.
Kore said doing the project became personal to him and his crew because it had to be designed and built around Julie’s unique needs.
“We were really passionate about this project,” he said. “It really captured my imagination and challenged us.
“We’ve done some pretty exceptional pools over the years. This is the one I’m most proud of.”
Julie said people with disabilities often feel like an afterthought in a world where everything from sidewalks to door entryways present challenges to them gaining access safely.
“It defeats the purpose of using a pool” if you don’t feel safe, she said.
Julie Grand, centre, is seen in her family’s pool with sister Jodie Hornak and twin sister Janie Grand. (Terry Grand photo)
“It’s really nice to not only have the accessibility, but the consideration of how it would work and feel for me. I’m just so thankful for Ryan and Poolbusters for thinking outside of the box.”
Terry said other companies also went above and beyond to complete the project such as concrete work and landscaping around the pool. They included MacMillan D Excavating, Proper Pools, Rocco Concrete and Elly Fence.
He’s hopeful that the lessons learned from his family’s pool will give more people with disabilities — including aging people with mobility issues — the chance to safely enjoy pool days in the summer.
“We’d like to share that this is an option for people to consider if they’re ever putting in a pool,” he said. “Why not make it accessible for everyone?”
