Inclusive Playground Addition Comes to Life by Community Collaboration

The new 'inclusive' addition to Centennial Park should be ready for play in a couple of weeks time. 

Variety the Children's Charity of Alberta has managed to raise over $350,000 in donations, including those in-kind, to help bring Cochrane's second inclusive playground to life.

Cochrane's popular Centennial Park will be the next playground to feature unique play equipment that will enable all children to play together, states Larry Horeczy, Co-Managing Director. "The whole point of a fully inclusive playground is that no matter your ability, whether it's sight or cognitive or mobility, you can go anywhere in this playground both because of the rubber (surface) and how we lay out the playground."

Sharing the park will encourage interactive play, Horeczy, describes some of the features the community will be able to enjoy. "There will be a giant spinning net climber with some accessible seating so it's easy to transfer in and out, there will be a set of disc swings which will encourage kids to play and sit on the swing together, an 'expression' swing which is a seat where a child has support in the seat but they are facing the adult that is with them. We have all heard the research that you want to look and talk to the child while you're playing but the second thing is that with a child with cognitive disabilities, autism as an example, we really encourage that face to face interaction. We will also have...the only ones in the area...ground level trampolines. There will be two trampolines so kids can even wheel right on and bounce together."

The playground will also feature a new version of the old school merry-go-round, musical metal flowers, sensory equipment and a number of interactive features. "We are using rubber so there are no barriers, a ton of colour will be in this, there will be numbers to play Hopscotch and shapes in different sizes and colours. Again, it guides children for cognitive and sight impairment but it is also just a lot of fun for kids to play."

While Variety initially had a high-end goal of $800,000 they are happy to build this first phase. Ongoing talks will continue and depending on further fundraising the community could see improvements made to the existing park and the surrounding area.

Variety employee and wheelchair user, Sasha Macdonald, grew up in Fort McMurray and says it's been amazing to come to Cochrane and see all the strides we are taking to become an inclusive community. "To see that Cochrane is making an effort to make sure everyone can be included is great. Coming from a town where you don't have that, it's great to see that future generations won't have to face the barriers that I had to face. I am happy for what Variety is doing and the Town of Cochrane is doing." 

Also taking off is a pilot awareness program hosted by Variety for Fireside School as well as Elizabeth Barrett in the near future. The in-school Ability Diverse Education Program, called 'Just Like You', will feature a number of modules. The program is facilitated by people living with disabilities, such as Sasha, who can give personal, relatable information to students and staff alike. Variety's belief is that through education, awareness, and creating an environment of understanding and acceptance, the world can become a very different place. "The Just Like You program allows kids to learn about disability from someone who actually experiences it. It allows them to truly educate themselves because you know in today's society when parents/children see something different they stare but with this program it allows us to break down barriers. Most of the time the kids mean no harm but this way with the Just Like You program they get to learn about it in a good way and right from the source. Allowing kids to ask questions in an open forum allows them to become educated and expand their horizons. They may say, 'just because she is in a wheelchair she can still play with me because she wants to play, she is a person.'"

The new addition to Centennial Park should be play ready in a couple weeks time, depending on Mother Nature.

READ MORE:

New Inclusive Playground Gets a Provincial Helping Hand