How RE/MAX Agents Are Helping Make Halloween More Accessible

RE/MAX agents believe everyBODY should be able to trick-or-treat – and they’re helping to make it happen! In parts of Canada, RE/MAX agents are providing free resources for homeowners to help make their homes trick-or-treat accessible for all children.

It all started in 2018 when the RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic region partnered with “Treat Accessibly,” a grassroots movement dedicated to helping make trick-or-treating possible for children living with disabilities. The program was launched when founder Rich Padulo and his daughter, Siena, were decorating their home for Halloween and saw a young boy pass by in a wheelchair. Padulo realized that the boy would not be able to trick-or-treat at their home due to their exterior stairs.

“The parent in me was heartbroken to think, ‘What if my child couldn’t do that thing that I loved growing up?'” Padulo said. “The kid in me came up with a solution, that if I saw [Treat Accessibly yard signs] when I was that little boy’s age, I would understand the message immediately.”

That moment inspired the very first Treat Accessibly yard sign, which proudly dons the RE/MAX logo as a steadfast supporter of the program and the exclusive distributor of the yard signs.

“By making the Treat Accessibly yard signs available through RE/MAX offices and helping to educate our communities about accessibility, we can make Halloween an event that’s memorable to kids, for all the right reasons,” said Christopher Alexander, Senior Vice President of RE/MAX Canada. “It’s about making a few small changes, and a huge difference.”

In the movement’s first year, the Padulo family decided to distribute candy at the foot of their driveway, removing the barriers that are problematic to those with physical challenges.

“Seven families came to our home with children with disabilities that year. They explained to me that they had never seen anything like this,” Padulo said.

Since the partnership began, RE/MAX agents in Canada have distributed “Treat Accessibly” yard signs to their clients and communities, helping to spread awareness and promote accessible trick-or-treating. The signs are free of cost and available to pick up at local RE/MAX offices.

When a homeowner places a “Treat Accessibly” sign on their front lawn, they’re showing commitment to dismantling the barriers on their property that can be difficult to navigate by those with accessibility challenges, such as staircases, steep and long driveways, crowded front entrances and narrow pathways. The change can be as simple as greeting trick-or-treaters with sweets at the foot of the driveway.

The Treat Accessibly campaign has continued to grow each year, expanding into Quebec in 2021 and recently promoted through social media by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Toronto Mayor John Tory and many others.

The city of Vaughan, Ontario, has even committed to promoting Treat Accessibly every October going forward. In addition to communities jumping on board to support the cause, 124 schools in Ontario have adopted a Treat Accessibly pilot program.

With the help of RE/MAX agents, Treat Accessibly expects more than 50,000 homes in Canada to take part in the movement this year, with hopes for continued growth in the years to come.

“The goal is to have Halloween become the first accessible holiday tradition in the world, and set a precedent for many to follow, not just on holidays but in daily life,” Padulo said.

 He believes that increasing public awareness of accessibility – like how kids celebrate Halloween – will open people’s eyes to  the barriers people with disabilities face every day.

“If it’s that easy to make a change to improve accessibility on Halloween, imagine all the other things that people can change too – if we all work together,” he said.

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