October 2021 - Parks & Recreation - 36

INCLUSIVE PARKS
questioned mistakenly believed that
playgrounds are required to have
elements designed for children with
Down syndrome, sensory disorders,
and visual and hearing impairment.
Accessible playgrounds allow
people with disabilities to visit the
play area, whereas fully inclusive
playgrounds provide the opportunity
for everyone to actually use and
interact with the playground equipment.
In other words, inclusive
play is not solely about physically
accessing an environment, but also
intensely focused on what happens
once an individual gets there.
" A playful environment is an
environment where people collaborate.
It's an environment where
people get along and become
more welcoming, " comments Tom
Norquist,
PlayCore senior
vice
president of innovation and business
development. " It's necessary
to provide play spaces where people
of all abilities can play together,
because play, on a fundamental
level, eradicates social barriers that
might have been there previously. "
More and more, people are realizing
the disparity in access and
inclusion. According to a poll conducted
by NRPA (tinyurl.com/
wtmashc9), close to 9 in 10 Americans
say communities should offer
all-inclusive play options at playgrounds
across the country. Park
and recreation departments have
recognized this need and are building
inclusive play spaces for the
communities they serve.
Communities Embrace
Inclusive Play
An excellent example of a city
going above and beyond ADA
standards of accessibility is Lawrenceburg,
Indiana. The City of
Lawrenceburg recently reopened
Arch Street Park, and the new
park features a number of inclusive
play elements that
are accessible to people in
mobility devices, including
swings, seesaws and
ziplines. A colossal
amount of collaboration
was required to
complete this project,
with city officials and
community
ers
partnering
the playground manufacturer
GameTime
to
provide the inclusive
play equipment. AdditionThe
City of Lawrenceburg (Indiana)
recently reopened Arch Street Park,
and the new park features a number of
inclusive play elements.
36 Parks & Recreation | O CTOBER 2 0 2 1
ally, landscape architects
and sales representatives from
Sinclair Recreation oversaw the
installation of the playground.
Beginning in 2020, the Lawrenceburg
community set out to revamp
| PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
Arch Street Park. This led to forming
the Arch Street Park Playground
Committee, which consists of area
residents, young students and community
members. Led by Lawrenceburg
Mayor Kelly Mollaun,
members of the committee included
Sallee Johns, Joe Vogelgesang, Erin,
Nicole and Taylor Ratliff, Grace
Brown, A.J. Waltz, Connie Knue,
Tina Zint, Bonnie Vise, Guinevere
Emery and Mario Todd.
" [The] project took a lot of time,
with great input from our playground
committee, to finalize a design that
could be utilized by different age
groups for ultimate fun and healthy
experiences, " says Mayor Mollaun.
This dedicated group set forth to
review existing playground infrastructure
conditions, address recreation
issues in the area and improve
accessibility for their outdoor play
environments. Their main goal was
to create a playground design featuring
inclusive, fun and exceptional
play experiences to add to the city's
award-winning parks. After a year
of planning, design and installation,
the universally designed Arch Street
Park reopened in June 2021.
" Inclusion was always a priority for
organizwith
us, "
says Emery, communications director
for the City of Lawrenceburg.
" We've always been a community
dedicated to supporting exceptional
recreation environments, and part of
that is providing inclusive play spaces
for people in the region. "
The playground was made possible
and partially funded by a GameTime
Playground Grant Funding
Award of $190,403, with the
City of Lawrenceburg committing
an additional $550,026 toward the
Arch Street Park Inclusive Playground
project.
" On behalf of everyone at GameTime,
congratulations on your new
playground, " says GameTime Presi
http://www.tinyurl.com/wtmashc9 http://www.tinyurl.com/wtmashc9
October 2021 - Parks & Recreation

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