From years of exclusion to finally attending camp with his classmates, Jakob Openshaw-Clark highlights the importance of listening, adapting and including everyone.
For young people, school camps, sports, and outdoor experiences are simply part of growing up. For Jakob Openshaw-Clark, those experiences have often come with an added layer of navigation, negotiation and persistence.
16-year-old Jakob, a senior student at Feilding High School in the Manawatū lives with cerebral palsy, which primarily affects his legs, and thus used a wheelchair. His journey has included around 25 surgeries, including five major double hip operations, each lasting over six hours, alongside years of physiotherapy and hospital visits.
Despite this, Jakob is clear that his disability does not define the limits of what he can achieve.
“I have always carried the belief that my disability will not stop me from doing and experiencing things that able-bodied youth can also accomplish,” he says.
That belief has been tested throughout his school years, particularly when it came to inclusion in activities others often took for granted. Jakob recalls repeatedly being excluded from experiences simply because others assumed he would not be able to participate.
That pattern continued into high school. When Year 10 camp came around, he says there was little effort made to consider how he could be included. Messages went unanswered, and the assumption that he would not attend became the default outcome.
For a time, Jakob believed that school camps might always be out of reach.
That changed when Year 12 Whakapapa geography camp was announced. Instead of stepping back, Jakob spoke up; and this time with a lot of support. Working closely with his teacher, Mrs Tennant, the school began actively searching for a way to make the camp accessible., he was finally able to fully engage with the curriculum.
After contacting multiple venues and navigating logistical challenges, they found the Forest and Bird Lodge at Whakapapa Village. It became a turning point. With support from the lodge and staff who were willing to adapt, Jakob was finally able to attend camp with his classmates.
“The experience was everything I had hoped for. From collecting field research at multiple sites around Tongariro to sharing games and laughter with friends at night, I was not just included, I was very much a part of it,” he shares.
He is forever grateful to Mrs Tennant, teacher aide Lynette, and his geography class for including him in everything and making his first ever school trip so memorable
For Jakob, this experience taught him that change happens when voiced, and people are willing to listen, adapt and act.
As Youth Week highlights the theme ‘Our Voices Matter – We Deserve to Be Heard,’ Jakob believes young people with disabilities must continue to speak up for themselves and others.
