After pausing the Mill Street Playground project, the town of Perth connected with families with children with exceptionalities to talk about universal play design.
They now have a new final design that is inclusive and accessible, while still staying within our budget and existing footprint of the space.
Here’s what the town of Perth had to say about how they’re making efforts to enhance universal design play:
The town will:
- Re-install the green turf area for accessible navigation as well as keep our paved pathway.
- Ensure there is an accessible swing still in place.
- Add another ground-level, accessible music panel.
- Include a communication panel, which is a huge hit, especially for families with non-verbal children who can use the panel to share their feelings.
- Install a larger change table in the accessible washroom.
- Have a transfer module on the stairs, which provides a place where a child who is able to leave their wheelchair can transfer onto the steps to hop toward the play experiences.
The ramp currently in place leads only to the middle platform. With building code changes come more requirements for a new ramp installation. The town felt the cost to include a ramp again (but not allowing it to reach the top) would be better utilized in adding/enhancing some of the other playground features.
Within the existing footprint, the town is limited with what can be installed in the playground. With that, the Conlon Farm playground is due for replacement within the coming three years, and Perth is committed to ensuring it implements a playground that integrates universal play and gives us plenty of space to dream and design.
Comments