A new wheelchair-accessible boardwalk has just opened at the CHS urban farm thanks to the vision of a teacher, funds from the division, and the handiwork of students.

In his courses on urban farming, Peter Davis teaches 75 students about marketing and sustainable agriculture through growing crops and raising chickens on a 3,400 square foot farm behind CHS. But in his special education class, called Garden to Market, three students in wheelchairs were not able to get up close to the gardens or chicken coops. 

Davis, who used to be a special education teacher himself, had a vision to solve this problem that involved all his students. 

With $6,500 in funding from the division, Davis worked with students to build the 815-square-foot boardwalk themselves during class. Scores of students in grades 9-12 got hands-on experience with design, construction, and teamwork as they put the pathway together. 

Now, all students regardless of mobility impairments can fully participate in valuable educational experiences on the farm.

“There was an extra special piece to this of the students knowing that it was going to serve students with disabilities,” Davis told CBS19. “The smiles on the faces of the kids in wheelchairs the first time they came out was just worth it, hands down.”

Watch the story on CBS19: “CHS students build accessible path for wheelchair-bound students”

Photos: 
Top: Special education teacher Alexa Mottas and a student on the boardwalk using an adaptive chicken feeder.
Bottom: Urban farming students gained hands-on experience in design, construction, and teamwork by building the boardwalk. Photo by David Jaffe, Grade 11, CHS.