Let’s all play! Why accessible playgrounds matter.

Guest blogger: Rachel Ezekiel-Fishbein

As America celebrates the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) this month, there’s exciting news on playgrounds across Pennsylvania. Many communities are looking beyond the basic requirements of the ADA and building Universal Design into their new play spaces. 

“Universal Design is human-centered design of everything, with everyone in mind,” according to Let Kids Play, which works to ensure that all children have the best play opportunities possible. 

What does that mean? Planning and building playgrounds that serve every child’s needs in one place, while creating multiple opportunities for interaction between children with and without disabilities. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks Americans with disabilities as the largest minority group in the country. About 1 in 6 children in the United States have one or more developmental disabilities. Historically, when communities built inclusive playgrounds, they focused solely on providing physical access, leaving out a vast number of children who are nonverbal or speech impaired, deaf or hearing impaired, blind or vision impaired or neurodivergent.

Universal Design for playgrounds centers around seven principles: 

1. Equitable Use for people with diverse abilities 
2. Flexibility in Use for a range of preferences and abilities
3. Simple and Intuitive Use for all people
4. Perceptible Information for diverse people
5. Tolerance for Error to minimize risk
6. Low Physical Effort
7. Size and Space for Approach and Use regardless of mobility, size and posture

The flagship playground at Warminster Community Park in Bucks County, which opened this past May, is a model of what is possible.

“Our team has experience with a wide range of children with disabilities through our camps and our personal experiences,” explains Jessica Fox, director of Warminster Township’s Park & Recreation Department. “With this insight, we already knew the old inclusion model of just wheelchair ramps wouldn’t serve the vast needs of all of the children in our community.”

“The result is not a stand-in-line and go-down-the-slide playground. This playground was intentionally designed to create interaction while also providing spaces for children to retreat as needed. The way the belt and rope systems work throughout, kids are crawling underneath and throughout, meeting each other face to face unintentionally and making new friends with children who have very different abilities. It shows children what they have in common and allows them to have fun together instead of focusing on their differences.”

Upper Allen Township Parks & Recreation in Cumberland County, Central Pennsylvania, just celebrated becoming the first public park system in Pennsylvania to earn designation as a Certified Autism Center (CAC). CAC designation relates to staff training and the department’s commitment to providing accessible spaces that encourage inclusivity. 

“Parks aren’t just for one person. They’re for everyone,” says Upper Allen Township Parks Director Chad Krebs. “Inclusivity is the first thing we think about when we start any project. We look at it from every angle to determine whether it’s accessible to all.” 

If your community’s playgrounds aren’t accessible for disabled children, Krebs and Fox encourage you to advocate for change. Many accessible playgrounds begin with community organizing, often by parents of children with disabilities whose needs aren’t being served. 

According to Fox, the first thing to do is determine who is in charge of parks and playgrounds in your community to see if they have an advisory board. “Many people don’t understand that these meetings are public, and they can have a voice there,” says Fox. “It is really a missed opportunity, as your best bet is to work collaboratively with your community’s leadership.” 

Krebs encourages parents to find others who share their vision, including community groups, schools and governmental committees. “Wide-ranging support is important to accessing funding,” says Krebs.

The largest challenge is likely to be money. Funding can come from individual donations, local, state and foundation grants, civic organizations, in-kind donations, businesses and religious institutions. The good news is that most grants for community improvement projects now ask about what is being done to make the project inclusive. 

A great starting point for your funding search is the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), which provides grants for playgrounds. 

Here are 10 tips to help you advocate for the playground your community needs: 

1. Be clear about your mission. 
2. Build an inclusive coalition. Make sure it includes people with disabilities.
3. Do your research: The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) has research supporting how strong parks and recreation impact communities. 
4. Ask your park and recreation department about the replacement schedule for playgrounds. It is more realistic to set your sights on replacing the playground that’s next in line, given the cost of building a new playground, particularly an accessible one.
5. Raise awareness in the community through your local schools, religious institutions, civic organizations, businesses and the media. 
6. Lobby your local elected officials. 
7. Seek expert guidance. Harper’s Playground, a nonprofit committed to radically inclusive playgrounds, offers scholarships for its How-To Workshops. 
8. Build Universal Design into your planning process to ensure what you create will have the longest possible lifespan and the widest variety of users. 
9. Engage the community in the design process. 
10. Use free online information. Landscape Structures offers a list of organizations that provide grants for accessible playgrounds. Harper’s Playground offers a free How-To Guide. So does Playworld. 

Advocating for the playground your child and community need is likely to take several years. While you’re waiting, find your closest accessible playground with the Let Kids Play Accessible Playground Directory. You can also check out the Park Finder on our website for parks and recreation closest to you.

About the author: Rachel Ezekiel-Fishbein is a college professor, writer, yoga teacher and PR professional who lives and works in Montgomery County, PA. She is the mother of three adult children, one with special needs.