At least 10% of children live with a disability.
How can you make sure you're planning for kids with special needs as you design your playspace? It helps to include parents who are raising kids with disabilities on your committee. You can also include children with a variety of disabilities in your design and build days.
Did your community recently plan a playspace for kids with special needs? We'd love to know what worked for you!
We are currently in the process of building an accessible playground. We are at the beginning stages. We are working with a dynamite company, RE Woodson, Inc., out of Rochester NY. We are working with the Marketing Manager, Liza Agresta. She has fabulous ideas. We are currently waiting for the plans for the playground. We solicited the children's wishes/likes/dislikes as far as equipment and Liza is working it all into the plans. Good luck to you!
Kathy, Upstate NY
That's great that you've got the ball rolling on an accessible playground! Are you with a group of parents who thought of the project, or a community group? How did you go about finding a design company to work with? You sound really happy with them so far. How about the kids you surveyed - what are some of the things they wanted to see in their new playground? Keep us posted on your progress!
We recently opened a new community playground in Bedford NH. While it is not completely accessible is it more than most in our surrounding area. Some things we did include:
We got input on our design from several phyiscal and occupational therapists who work with kids in our school system.
We build on the the rampways into an existing hillside and created a pathway on the hill, so that the big kids structure is accessible to those in wheelchairs or with walkers. It's great to see these kids be able to "get up high" on the structure like the other kids. We also had two handicap swings located right near the pathway.
Good Luck.