The following testimony from Christelle Montreuil of Idéaux accurately reflects how we feel when we are fortunate enough to witness similar situations, in which people are able to discover or reconnect with certain activities.
Thank you, Christelle, for sharing this moment of happiness experienced by this person and by you!
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Translation of the original post:
Yesterday, at Parc de l’Île Saint-Quentin, we met a man in a motorized wheelchair, accompanied by a friend.
He had come to enjoy the inclusive beach and had also heard about the new inclusive pool.
While chatting, he said this sentence that deeply moved me: “I haven’t swum in 20 years.”
Twenty years without feeling the water on his skin.
Twenty years watching others dive, swim, laugh… without being able to join them.
I told him, “I sincerely believe that today, you could experience it.”
His look and smile were worth all the gold in the world.
His companion explained to us that she couldn’t transfer him alone. So, we offered our help and reserved a sofao, one of the inclusive equipment available free of charge on site (Gilles Roure, Zero Limit’).
We didn’t see him in the water… but we witnessed something just as powerful:
that moment when accessibility transforms a desire into a possibility.
And that’s already huge. 
I’m so proud of this beautiful project, carried out with the City of Trois-Rivières, Parc l’Île Saint-Quentin, the architects CCM2 architectes, and ARTEFAC Architecture et idéals, who helped make this space more inclusive for all.
