I've posted a few times about the playground issue because it's one I grapple with regularly. Playgrounds are such amazing resources for kids to develop all kinds of important skills and abilities, and most communities have them in one fashion or another. But so few of them are designed with a disabled kid in mind.
Now that we are raising a child with a physical disability it's hard for me to fathom that an inaccessible playground would ever be created in the first place. But like most people, until I got up close and personal with what it means to be physically challenged, I didn't spend that much time thinking about how inaccessible the majority of our communities are, not just playgrounds.
So now that I live in this world and am faced with it regularly, I feel compelled to try to do something about it and the playground piece is one I think I'd like to try to take on. I started to do some research and found out about this cool organization, Boundless Playgrounds, with the mission to help people like me get started on the road to building a universally accessible playground in their community.
If you go to the section of the site which lists Boundless Playgrounds across the country, you will find some amazing spaces that have been created for kids. It's incredible how even simple things like installing sand tables instead of sand boxes can make a huge difference for a kid in a walker or a wheelchair. Perusing the links to the different playgrounds is like visiting Santa's workshop. I'm so excited about the possibilities...and also totally overwhelmed at the idea of trying to make something like this happen around here.
I'm not sure where I'll go with this, but if anyone out there has ever tackled a similar project in their own community, I'd love to hear your story.
4 comments:
God Bless you and your little angels, from the mom of a preemie boy. We are fortunate that he has overcome much of his difficulties through early intervention and lots of prayers. He is now 10 and mainstreamed in a regular classroom setting. He was held back one year, last year but is doing amazing in school! The City of Boynton Beach is trying to create an entire park that is barrier-free for children, adults and grandparents to be able to fully enjoy and explore together. We have some grants for the park & playground and some city funding, but we have a long way to go. We hear you and the many other families who long for a place to let your kids just enjoy being kids. We won't give up, as I know you won't either. Thanks for sharing you story - you inspire us! DM from Florida
We have quite a few accessible playgrounds here and Elizabeth gets so much out of them. When she used her walker she could go all around on her own, I loved it and so did she. An afternoon at a playgroup is equivilant to an afternoon in therapy but more fun. Good luck, it sounds like a great organization. Saturn (auto) also is involved with accessible playgrounds.
I wanted to send you info sooner, but despite an online search, couldn't come up with a decent reference.
A local philanthropist and parent has already built one playground and plans more.
Today in the newspaper was the reference I was looking for. If you can get in touch with Gordon Hartman in San Antonio....
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/columnists/ken_rodriguez/hartman_to_swing_for_a_park_in_09__and_not_for_city_hall100.html
Here is another link:
http://www.boundlessplaygrounds.org/
All the best.
If you decide to try to rally for one here in VT, I recall the Signing Time Foundation has an interest in supporting accessible playgrounds. You can find more info here:
http://www.signingtimefoundation.org/programs/miraclegardens.htm
Best to you, the girls, and B.
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