Stittsville street turns into haunted haven for accessible trick-or-treating

Trick-or-treaters will be out in full force in just a couple of weeks, but one street in Stittsville was blocked off on Saturday to give all kids a chance to enjoy the annual tradition.

"The homeowners on Baywood Drive have shut down the street and they are treating from the end of their driveway so children with mobility, sensory and intellectual disabilities can trick-or-treat like everyone else," said founder of Treat Accessibly, Rich Padulo.

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Padulo started Treat Accessibly in 2017 when he realized his home wasn't accessible to everyone.

"My daughter and I were putting pumpkins on our stairs and we saw a little boy using a wheelchair and we realized that he couldn't treat our home," Padulo said.

"We made a sign, the first one for our home, and treated from the end of our driveway. That little boy and seven other families from four kilometers away came and that sparked something for us."

The initiative has since grown to more than 150,000 participating homes across the country.

Represented by orange lawn signs, at its core, the goal is for homeowners to remove unnecessary barriers.

"Ninety per cent of what any home can do on Halloween is just treat from the end of their driveways. You're out, you're open, and kids get to stay close to their parents," Padulo said.

It gives kids, like 10-year-old Pesho Pinkston, a chance to enjoy the spooky season and dress up in his favourite costume.

"I'm a pilot," said Pinkston. "The best part of Halloween is getting candy."

It's an opportunity for him that hasn't always been possible.

"I have two boys in wheelchairs," Sharon Pinkston said. "Trick or treating, we can't do it a lot because a lot of times you can't get to the front door. So, this make it's possible for them to go around and trick-or-treat just like every other kid does."

From the haunted lawns to the creative costumes, around 800 people signed up for the event.

Padulo says the goal is to have more than 400,000 homes are accessible for trick-or-treaters across the country by 2025.

To participate head to treataccessibly.com.