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This post is a paid partnership with Voice of Play. You can learn more about Voice of Play here and their mission to increase education and awareness about the many benefits of children’s play. This campaign aims to raise awareness about inclusive playgrounds, as well as share tips and information about how to advocate for inclusive playgrounds in your community.
For the final post in my series with Voice of Play, I wanted to talk about how to actually advocate for accessible playgrounds in your community. You can see the previous posts about how our community built an inclusive playground as well as the difference between a playground that meets ADA standards vs. a truly inclusive playground. The goal of my collaboration with Voice of Play, is to create awareness and to provide the necessary information and tools so that YOU feel confident enough to advocate for inclusive playgrounds in your community.
So what now? How do you actually create an inclusive playground?
Here are some tips for creating inclusive playground in your community:
1. It is a process. You must first understand that advocating for inclusive playgrounds will be a process and you will need help. If you understand those two things, then you won’t be discouraged when it takes longer than you thought it would, and when you don’t know all the answers.
2. There is no one way. Every community is different and therefore, there is no one right way. Start by putting your feelers out there… Are there any playgrounds being considered for renovation through your city council? Are any of your local schools considering an upgrade to their playgrounds? The only way to find out is to ask around and find out where playgrounds are being discussed.
3. Find out who the decision makers are. Whether it’s a city council member or a school board, you want to find out who is in charge and then get yourself directly in front of your audience. But first…
4. Gather your people! More specifically, get the disability community involved! This is absolutely imperative. Even if you are told that the playground architects have plenty of experience creating inclusive playgrounds, even if there are physical and occupational therapists involved, the playground will be most successful with direct input from the disability community. Whether it’s through a Facebook group, asking around at school or some other means, reach out to the families who have kids with disabilities, as well as disabled adults themselves. All of these people are going to be your best resources for not only sharing about the importance of inclusive playgrounds, but also sharing their perspective on the type of equipment they would actually want to see in an inclusive playground. Remember, that you’ll want as many different viewpoints within the disability community as possible.
5. Talk to the decision makers. Lastly, you will need to talk directly to the decision makers help them understand the difference between ADA playgrounds and truly inclusive playgrounds. You can share the Voice of Play Inclusivity Guide as well as their Inclusivity Checklist. You can also share this video about the difference between ADA playgrounds and truly inclusive playgrounds:
Or this video of people with disabilities sharing their experiences on accessible vs. inclusive playgrounds:
6. Be persistent. Change rarely happens as quickly as we want it to, but with patience and persistence hearts and minds can be persuaded. There is real long term value in creating inclusive playgrounds that can accommodate all families and kids of all abilities.
Questions? Comments? Personal experience? Please ask away! Also, feel free to reach out to Voice of Play directly! Their contact info is on their homepage and they would be delighted to help answer any question you may have.
