Research indicates that there are nearly 50,000
children with some type of disability in
the northeast Ohio region, with 26,000 in
Cuyahoga County alone.
Our 60,000 square
foot outdoor play facility features
playable areas for children with a wide
variety of disabilities. The facility is
available to children of all ages, religious, ethnic
or racial backgrounds.
To
ensure that
we reach our intended community, we have formed
alliances with local and regional
agencies such as The March of Dimes,
Youth Challenge,
United Cerebral Palsy, the
Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center.
An accessible
playground is an asset to
the community and to the health and well being
of all children. Until now, there was no such
environment that provided accessible structures
that were safe and secure for children
utilizing special equipment such as crutches
or wheelchairs or one that truly
enables children with and without
disabilities to play alongside one another.
Opportunities
for the development of self
esteem and social
skills will be nurtured through
the
environment as imaginative and cooperative
play takes place. This play environment
creates a setting for a
positive family interaction while allowing
disabled children and adults an opportunity to
demonstrate their competencies, set goals and
demonstrate accomplishments.
There is a great
difference between accessible and
disability/wheelchair friendly play. Most
accessible playgrounds found today only provide
a ramp, which requires a child to leave
their support equipment behind in order
to access the play structure.
A
survey done by
Boundless Playgrounds™ showed less
than 10% of children with disabilities are
able to leave their support equipment thus
making play for them in existing playgrounds
less than satisfying or
gratifying.
In addition, parents
of disabled children
have indicated a frustration in taking
their children to an inaccessible
playground.
