Welcome to the home of the Canadian Adapted Hockey Alliance/Alliance Canadienne de Hockey Adapté! We are an alliance of special needs adapted/adaptive hockey teams committed to being as inclusive as we possibly can be while ensuring safety and fun for all!
CAHA/ACHA is the place where #hockeyisforeveryone and we #chooseinclusion! You know what that means? It means:
YOU BELONG HERE!
CAHA/ACHA’s mission is to unite special needs adapted/adaptive hockey teams who are committed to creating opportunities for those with developmental*, cognitive and cognitive+physical disabilities to develop their strength, hockey skills, sportsmanship and life skills while deepening their love of the game and their team.
CAHA/ACHA clubs are committed to being as inclusive as they possibly can be (recognizing that each club will look and operate a little differently based on the needs of their community) while ensuring that each and every athlete has a great time playing hockey, is motivated to grow and improve, and knows they are welcome and that they belong.
Inclusion is: a noun; defined as:
1. the act of including.
2. the state of being included.
3. something that is included.
Inclusion is not just for some, it’s for everyone.
The Canadian government is moving to enact that those with disabilities are treated equally including access to recreational activities, services and employment. Here at CAHA, we agree that it’s their right to be treated fairly, equitably, and inclusively in every aspect of life including sport. In fact, the Supreme Court of Canada’s landmark decision, Eldridge v. BC.[1997] 3 S.C.R. 624, which is Canada’s most powerful judicial statement on disability equality and accessibility held that a core feature of the constitutional right to disability equality is the duty to accommodate disability-related needs. Eldridge holds that equality for people with disabilities is denied where there is “a failure to ensure that they benefit equally from a service offered to everyone. It held that it would be “a thin and impoverished vision of s. 15(1)” to approach equality as if “governments should be entitled to provide benefits to the general population without ensuring that disadvantaged members of society have the resources to take full advantage of those benefits.”
Our Supreme Court sees the need to provide accessibility and inclusion for persons with disabilities, and so does CAHA/ACHA.
This is why this organization is SO important; because we believe in and are 100% committed to achieving #hockeyisforeveryone and being as inclusive as we possibly can be.
If your team agrees, we’d love to have you join us and help build CAHA/ACHA into an amazing, inclusive, welcoming organization where we do everything we possibly can to make hockey dreams come true! #chooseinclusion!
*see the CDC’s definition of Developmental Disabilities here
