Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital is proud to announce that its therapeutic recreation team is the recipient of the 2026 Therapeutic Recreation Ontario’s (TRO) Organization Award. 

This award recognizes organizations that demonstrate outstanding support for the therapeutic recreation (TR) profession through innovative programming, education and leadership.

Pictured above: therapeutic recreation specialists Mursal Rizaey [left] and Kaitlyn Large [right] accept the 2026 Therapy Recreation Ontario Organization Award on behalf of their team.

Supporting clients through play-based experiences

The TR team comprises more than 20 highly skilled therapeutic recreation professionals who support children, youth and young adults with disabilities and developmental differences. 

Spanning across inpatient and outpatient program areas, the team assists recreation programming across rehabilitation units, community inclusion programming and select ambulatory clinics. 

Through fun and play-based experiences, children and youth build motor, social, and cognitive skills, while strengthening coping strategies and developing confidence. Initiatives such as The Independence Program, an immersive residential life skills experience, and Camp Connection, an inclusive overnight camp program, demonstrate the team’s creativity and leadership in preparing young people for meaningful participation in their communities. The team has also embraced technology to expand access, notably through the development of virtual friendship and belonging programs that ensure connection beyond physical spaces.

The inpatient TR team offers recreation and goal-based programming all year. The team’s commitment to client engagement is especially evident during holidays and summer months, when hospitalization can be most difficult for children and families. Therapeutic recreation staff go above and beyond to create joy and connection through holiday celebrations, musical performances, movie nights, themed fairs, neighbourhood trick-or-treating, bonfires, and visits from special guests. 

The impact of the team’s work is powerfully reflected in families’ voices, including caregivers who have shared their heartfelt gratitude:

“Both my child and I want to say thank you to all of you. You have all made a very difficult time for us into a more fun time, especially for [my child]. I will tell [my child] when she gets older all about all you wonderful people & what you did for her and me. Thank you.” - an inpatient parent

The team’s commitment to inclusion extends into the community through partnerships, training, and education, including contributions to Empower Inclusion, developed in collaboration with March of Dimes Canada and with the generous support from The Slaight Family Foundation. This innovative model enables community organizations to expand access to evidence-based recreational and life skills programming for children and youth with disabilities across the province. 

Impacting education and research

The team also plays an important role in advance Holland Bloorview's academic and research agenda. The team is deeply committed to student education, providing high-quality clinical placements and unique opportunities to participate in Interprofessional Education (IPE) alongside their peers as they develop knowledge, skills and attitudes in the areas of communication, collaboration and values and ethics. Building on this model, the TR team also created the Cross-Service Therapeutic Recreation Education, a series of interactive sessions tailored to students’ competencies and learnings throughout their placement. 

On the research front, the team supports clinically relevant research focused on health promotion, participation and residential immersive life skills experiences through collaboration with the Bloorview Research Institute’s research teams. For instance, the team currently supports the Clinical Brain Computer Interface (BCI) program. The technology, developed largely by the PRISM Lab, offers group experiences where participants with disabilities use this technology to support play experiences and peer interaction. Together, these initiatives help prepare future practitioners grounded in therapeutic recreation competencies, interprofessional collaboration, and ethical, client-centred care.

The excellence of the therapeutic recreation team is evident in its growing accomplishments, innovations, and most importantly, in the moments of joy seen every day across Holland Bloorview — smiles in the hallways, laughter as adapted bikes zoom by, pride as youth navigate community outings, and the relief expressed by families knowing their child is supported by a compassionate, skilled, and dedicated team.

Congratulations to the TR team! 


Story and photos by Kristen English