Brendon Talbott from Wheelchair Sports NSW is in the Hastings all this week talking to students about his experiences in a wheelchair.

“This is the second time we have come to St Agnes’ Primary but we have been doing this program for a number of years across the state in both primary and high schools,” Mr Talbott said.

“Sponsored by Transport for NSW, the program is designed to talk to students about the actions they make and some of the potential consequences.

“The aim is to make young people aware of some of the challenges of being in a wheelchair; though it is not all doom and gloom, and we use sports as an example of that, the conversations we have with the students are fantastic.”

This week the program also went to Hastings Secondary Campus and will head to Camden Haven High on Friday.

He said the program is a chance for students to interact with someone who uses a wheelchair – potentially for the first time – as well as answer any questions they may have.

“Across all the schools we visit, the students aren’t shy; they are curious and have lots of questions, everything from how to I brush my teeth to if I can drive a car.

“The program is a chance for us to talk about some of things that happen if you end up needing to use a wheelchair.

“With the high school students we also talk about the long term issues including the financial burden of needing to regularly replace the chair as well as the emotional toll it can have, not just on the person in the wheelchair but their family and friends.

“We don’t want to scare the students but educate them to make good decisions.”

Head of sport at St Agnes’ Primary, Craig Brazel said the school embraces the program as a way to encourage acceptance and inclusion.

“For us, we think this is an excellent program for the students to be involved in,” Mr Brazel said.

“This is the second year our school has been involved as we see immense value in teaching the students about the importance of inclusiveness and seeing what people can achieve when challenged.

“We believe in learning through doing and giving our students every opportunity to challenge themselves through meaningful studies.”