Edmonton bomb unit hosts accessible Easter egg hunt for blind and vision-limited kids

Police tape surrounded part of Emily Murphy Park as the Edmonton Police Service's bomb unit took part in a special assignment Saturday.

Officers and Edmonton Police Foundation volunteers hid accessible eggs for visually impaired or vision-limited children to take part in an Easter egg hunt.

"We've hand-built eggs that we will hide that beep," said Const. Ryan Katchur, a forensics specialist and one of the organizers behind the Beeping Egg Project.

"This way, children that have vision loss or are blind will be able to go out and find these eggs based on auditory signals."

Katchur said he was inspired to create the accessible event to help every child experience the feeling of searching for Easter eggs.

"This will help them develop their independence, their confidence (by) being able to do something on their own and participate in an activity that they may not have been able to participate in before or required help from parents," Katchur added.

EPS collaborated with the Cyber Eagles, a Strathcona County-based robotics team that 3D printed and constructed the eggs.The police foundation hopes to make the event an annual tradition.

Six-year-old Alex Halloran was one of the dozens of Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) kids and their families that got to take part.

"It was awesome," Alex said.

Her father, Kieran, said the event marked the first time Alex could do an Easter egg hunt almost entirely alone.

"This was really special," Kieran said. "She could be more independent. By the end of it, she really was finding the eggs totally on her own."

In the past, Kieran said Alex would rely on clues and other guidance to bring her toward a location.

"It was great and wonderful, especially to see her with her peers and kids in a similar situation," he added.

Katchur said he first learned about a similar event hosted in the U.S. by a bomb technician who had a blind daughter.

"The bomb technicians are constantly working with simple circuits, wires, putting things together, figuring things out (and) tinkering," he explained. "So it was natural for them to design and devise the beeping eggs.

"For them to see a whole bunch of beeping objects in a field, as long as they know they don't have to deal with it, they are happy," Katchur said as he laughed.

For Amber Dujay, CNIB acting manager of programs and operations for Alberta, the event represented a collaboration never considered before.

"We have done Easter events before but had we thought of working with the bomb squad to make accessible eggs? No," she said. "Most of the families we spoke with were just so excited."

"It's a fun device they can play with," she added. "It's tactile. It's auditory… (It) makes it accessible for all kids."