In the early 1960s, a group of students at Toronto’s Beverly School became the test group for Dr. Frank Hayden, a sport scientist at the University of Toronto. Dr. Hayden was studying the effects of regular exercise on the fitness levels of children with an intellectual disability.

Dr. Hayden’s research was nothing short of groundbreaking. It challenged the prevailing mindset of the day – one that claimed that it was the disability itself which prevented children from fully participating in play and recreation. Through rigorous scientific methods, Dr. Hayden proved that it was simply a lack of opportunity to participate. Given that possibility, people with an intellectual disability could acquire the necessary skills to participate in sport, and become physically fit. In other words, sport could have a transformative effect on the lives of those with an intellectual disability.