The National Center for Boundless Playgrounds®
Topic: Barrier-free playgrounds for everyone, with and without disabilities
Playing is how children learn to navigate the world and is essential to their healthy development. According to U.S. Health and Human Services data, more than six million children - one in ten - in the United States has some type of disability that makes it hard or impossible for them to play on traditional playgrounds. When children with disabilities are prevented from engaging in play activities that their peers without disabilities have access to, they become further disadvantaged.
With a little extra thought and planning, communities can create barrier-free play environments that are rigorous and challenging for children of all abilities - playgrounds that are inclusive of everyone and provide real developmental advantages for all.
The importance of play for children of all abilities is an issue whose time has come. Professionals in the parks and recreation field, playground industry representatives, municipal officials, state legislators, disability advocates, civic groups, educators, parents and grandparents, and others are increasingly interested in learning how they can create barrier-free play environments. The National Center for Boundless Playgrounds - the first national nonprofit dedicated to opening the world of play to children of all abilities - receives as many as 200 requests each month from communities and individuals seeking help and information.
More and more individuals realize that, while a typical playground is required to be built with consideration of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a truly barrier-free play environment reaches even higher, delivering on the promise of equal play opportunities. ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG), issued in 2000, which define the legal standard for accessibility, rely primarily on transfer decks and, in the case of larger playgrounds, limited ramps. Also, ADAAG does not address the needs of children with sensory disabilities (such as vision or hearing impairments) or developmental disabilities (such as autism or Down syndrome).
Simple but profound differences in Boundless Playgrounds include: sand boxes raised so children in wheelchairs can play there; ramps that take children with physical disabilities up to the highest play decks; swings with high backs and arm rests; and playground structures configured so that all children can play at their highest level of ability and everyone can be in the middle of the fun, playing and learning together. When children of all abilities play together they experience more similarities than differences and in many cases, differences fade into the background and become unimportant.
Today there are more than 80 Boundless Playgrounds in 21 states and in one Canadian province. Dozens of Boundless Playgrounds are under development across the country. With growing recognition of the benefits of inclusive environments, Boundless Playgrounds is continually seeking opportunities to partner with funders - including foundations, corporations and governments - interested in providing resources to help even more communities build Boundless Playgrounds.
Innovative professionals in the playground industry and the parks and recreation field, municipal officials and Boundless Playgrounds are working together to lead the way, enhancing the quality of life for children of all abilities by providing barrier-free play environments.
For more information about Boundless Playgrounds, please call (860) 243-8315 or visit www.boundlessplaygrounds.org.
The National Center for Boundless Playgrounds is the first national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping communities create extraordinary playgrounds where all children, with and without disabilities, can develop essential skills for life as they learn together through play. More than eighty Boundless Playgrounds projects are now open in 21 states and Canada and dozens more are currently in development. Boundless Playgrounds, based in Connecticut, was founded in 1997 by a passionate team of parents and professionals. The organization's goal is to provide a place to play for every child, of every ability, everywhere.
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