Inclusive Playspaces Reduce Barriers to Play
Bennett’s Village is building a multigenerational, all-abilities playspace at Pen Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. When we first started talking about an inclusive playspace in Charlottesville, we asked community members, “What are the barriers to play/recreation for you, your child, and your family?” And the answers we received have had a direct impact on what we have designed for Bennett’s Village. They shake out into a few different categories.
Infrastructure to support safety, dignity, and well-being:
Fencing: For many community members, elopement (wandering off) is a significant safety concern. Fencing provides protection from elopement while allowing those inside the fence to explore with more independence than they might be allowed if there was no fence at all.
Bathrooms: Folks don’t like to talk about toileting, but lack of accessible bathrooms is a barrier for many in the community. Bathrooms need to be big enough for mobility devices to maneuver, provide support through railings and easily opened doors, and allow for the possibility of a caregiver who may not be the same gender as the person needing care. In addition, there should be at least one adult changing table, safely secured to the floor or wall, and adjustable in height that supports all sizes and weights of individuals.
Electrical plugs: Electrical plugs are essential to keep communication and medical devices charged. Whether it is an emergency or an opportunity to play outside while waiting to hear back from the insurance company, having a place to plug in ensures that families can spend more time playing and less time waiting.
Shaded seating: Community members who have trouble regulating their body temperature can benefit from shaded spaces and misters to cool off. Frequent places to sit are an important inclusive feature of a playspace for those with mobility challenges, those with conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome, COPD, long-COVID or undergoing chemotherapy. Shaded seating provides relief and helps ensure that they can stay and enjoy the outdoors longer.
Wayfinding signage and communication boards:
Wayfinding signage can help folks orient themselves to a physical place and navigate where they want to go. Communication boards utilize pictures or symbols to help those with complex communication needs interact with peers, family, and caretakers. Communication boards not only provide tools for our non-verbal neighbors to communicate their needs and desires, but they are a visual signal that the space is an inclusive and welcoming place for everyone.
Equipment that supports inclusive features at all levels to promote parallel play and interaction:
Bennett’s Village is designed to support parallel play so folks of all abilities can play side by side– regardless of age or ability–to interact, to learn from each other, and to make new friends.
Some play equipment is designed to support a specific disability, like a wheelchair swing. These swings are awesome and serve a purpose, but often, due to their expense and the complicated internal workings, are fenced in and locked up, limiting their use to hours or times when someone can provide a key. They often don’t allow for social interactions with others. The result is they can divide rather than bring people together.
Bennett’s Village has chosen to focus on equipment that allows folks with different abilities to enjoy the same piece of equipment. Our ground level merry-go-round is designed so that kids and adults can walk or roll in their wheelchairs and enjoy the sensation of spinning in a circle. It can spin using a wheel on the inside if participants are strong enough to turn it, or folks on the outside can push the merry-go-round. We have also selected materials that allow more folks to be included–for example, plastic slides interfere with cochlear implants, but ones made out of concrete do not.
Other ways to ensure equipment is inclusive is to have multiple versions to support different needs–like pairing a traditional zipline with one that has adaptive and high back seats for those who need extra support. Sensory walls and musical equipment that can be accessed from a variety of heights to help all experience play with textures and sounds and visual delights. Ground level access or ramps in addition to ladders or steps ensure that folks aren’t left sitting on the sidelines.
Pathways and Surfacing that promote access and inclusion
Poured-in-place rubber, concrete, and other surfaces support mobility devices of all types, from the stroller to the walker to the wheelchair as opposed to mulch. Even when graded correctly to meet ADA guidelines, mulch still creates a barrier for those who are trying to safely navigate a playspace.
The width of pathways supports inclusion as well. We have designed paths at Bennett’s Village to encourage interactions among folks with different needs. The paths are wide enough for wheelchair users to roll side by side with their walking friends or to allow two people engaged in ASL communication to see each other’s hands. Calming spaces along the pathways ensure that those experiencing sensory overload need not leave the playspace to center themselves.
Inclusive playspaces break down barriers to play by designing infrastructure, equipment, and surfacing that meets the needs of the most often overlooked members of the community. In doing so, we allow for all community members to come together for play and recreation.
By Kara McClurken he Executive Director of Bennett's Village, a local non-profit building a multigenerational, all-abilities playspace at Pen Park in Charlottesville. You can learn about the designs for Bennett's Village at https://bennettsvillage.org/playspace/.