Accessible Playground Coming Soon to our City!

Today I happened across a link on our city's website about a group called Accessible Play Inc. I can't begin to express how excited I was when I read that a wonderful group of Florissant residents had created an organization to fund raise, and eventually build, an accessible park environment for children of all abilities!

Florissant has a wonderful park system, but it is certainly lacking in accessible play areas for children who have special needs like my kiddos (down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, etc.) For parents who have "typically developing" children, you may not see what a parent of a child with special needs sees as a safety or accessibility issue. Where you see rows of swings, I see swings that a child with CP can't swing on. Where you see a football field of green grass for the children to run in, I see a small patch of grass before my child with down syndrome takes off across the street because I don't run as fast as she does! Where you see bells to ring, or tubes to holler into, I see noises that might turn my child with autism into a sensory overloaded mess.

Playgrounds should be fun for all ... not just for kids with special needs and not just for "normal" children. Our kids are together at school, in church, in the neighborhoods ... let's let them play together in the park too!

I told my children about this new park. Talk about excitement and joy!!! The group is hoping to have it funded and built by 2011 (and they'd like to be able to complete this 1.5 million dollar project without any government monies.) My kids all expressed an immediate desire to help them fund raise, and maybe even build, this new park! What a great gift the community could give to our kids! As we become involved in this project I will keep you updated here at The Backyard Gang Blog on it's progress. In the meantime, take a look at their webpage http://www.accessibleplayinc.org/index.htm or become a fan on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Accessible-Play-Inc/173854663919 .

Until Tomorrow,
Kathy (picturing many warm days ahead at the park with her crew)