‘Accessible version of hockey’: Inclusive London VOLT team welcoming new players

VOLT hockey is an inclusive sport designed to bring those with and without physical disabilities together.

“You meet people who are similar to you in many ways, and some of them become great friends,” said Corbett Welch, 17, who was born with Cerebral Palsy.

The relatively new team allows people from all walks of life to come together in person, rather than just online.

“It’s a great way to bring the two cohorts together in a way where it's just not possible a lot of the time,” said Coach Marcus Paulino,

According to Variety Ontario, there are 50 teams around the world playing the sport.

“For many of these children it is their first opportunity to learn valuable life skills such as team building, competition, and social inclusion,” wrote Variety on its website. “These types of opportunities are critical given that 52 per cent of children with a disability report they have no friends.”

VOLT hockey is an inclusive sport using a plastic ball played in a GO Kart style chair (Brent Lale/CTV News London) The game is played with similar rules to hockey. “If you've ever heard of Sledge Hockey, it's like that for motorized vehicles,” said Welch. “It's kind of like a GO Kart.”

With limited mobility in his legs, Welch joked that a sport like soccer is not for him. VOLT allows him to use his upper body to control the joystick on his cart.

“It allows me to play sport and compete with teammates,” Welch added. “The sport itself is great, it's competitive, it's easy to learn, but it's hard to master”

London is one of five teams in Ontario (Barrie, Brampton, Niagara and Toronto) and there are plans to soon add five more teams around the province.

London is always looking for new players to help grow the sport.

Organizers encourage anyone to reach out to London High Voltage on Instagram to attend a practice.

London is one of five cities in Ontario who has a VOLT hockey team. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)Welch wants people to know it’s worth giving it a shot. "It’s a small team here, and it’s close knit.”

Paulino described the environment as a safe place which focuses on ability, not disability.

“I feel like you go through life and your kid with a disability,” said Paulino. “You come to VOLT, that's just not what it is. They are normal kids here."