Community Building Tip: Accessible Parks
For my current set of tips, I'm using the list "101 Small Ways You Can Improve Your City.
58. Advocate for accessible parks. Nearly one in five people have a disability in the U.S., but most parks aren’t built to accommodate them. Go to your nearest park and take a look around: Does it allow for wheelchair access? Are there supportive swings, activity panels at ground height, descriptions in Braille, accessible merry-go-rounds, and elevated play tables? Help build a more inclusive city by advocating for accessibly designed playgrounds.
There are a number of ways to do this cheaply, using incrementalism:
1) Add inclusive features one at a time in an existing park. Many of these are easy, like replacing a strap swing with a harness swing, or installing an inclusive digger at the sandbox. Does the park have any paved paths? If not, could you add some? That's the best bet if you have good equipment but not everyone can reach it easily.
2) Create a pocket park. Because these are so small, they lend themselves to specialized designs. Each pocket park in a neighborhood can have a different theme. One is a basketball court. One is a former parking lot with painted games, easy to wheel over. One is an art park with sidewalk chalk and chalkboards or paint panels at different heights. And so on. This outdoor classroom equipment has lots of great options.
3) Turn an awkward patch of land into a sensory garden or texture trail. These offer many different delights to appeal to a wide range of users.
4) Repurpose existing materials for new users. Some equipment designed for skateboards will also work with wheelchairs or on foot. Poured rubber is fantastic because it can cover bumps and hills to create interesting surfaces for disabled folks who want a bit of challenge that's still safe and rollable.
All of that is much cheaper and easier than building a big expensive all-inclusive playground from scratch.
58. Advocate for accessible parks. Nearly one in five people have a disability in the U.S., but most parks aren’t built to accommodate them. Go to your nearest park and take a look around: Does it allow for wheelchair access? Are there supportive swings, activity panels at ground height, descriptions in Braille, accessible merry-go-rounds, and elevated play tables? Help build a more inclusive city by advocating for accessibly designed playgrounds.
There are a number of ways to do this cheaply, using incrementalism:
1) Add inclusive features one at a time in an existing park. Many of these are easy, like replacing a strap swing with a harness swing, or installing an inclusive digger at the sandbox. Does the park have any paved paths? If not, could you add some? That's the best bet if you have good equipment but not everyone can reach it easily.
2) Create a pocket park. Because these are so small, they lend themselves to specialized designs. Each pocket park in a neighborhood can have a different theme. One is a basketball court. One is a former parking lot with painted games, easy to wheel over. One is an art park with sidewalk chalk and chalkboards or paint panels at different heights. And so on. This outdoor classroom equipment has lots of great options.
3) Turn an awkward patch of land into a sensory garden or texture trail. These offer many different delights to appeal to a wide range of users.
4) Repurpose existing materials for new users. Some equipment designed for skateboards will also work with wheelchairs or on foot. Poured rubber is fantastic because it can cover bumps and hills to create interesting surfaces for disabled folks who want a bit of challenge that's still safe and rollable.
All of that is much cheaper and easier than building a big expensive all-inclusive playground from scratch.