ADA and Hawaii Playgrounds

I was going to sit down and write a glowing report about all the playgrounds in Hawaii's schools and parks that have been designed with children with special needs in mind. Except I can't. It's not because I can't find the words it is because they don't exist.

All playground that are built in Hawaii today have to comply wtih ADA law and there's plenty of -compliant- playgrounds out there. What is important to understand about the way playground ADA law is written that you can be 100% compliant with ADA law and not provide one functional play component.

From the ADA:

The other requirements for play components are provided to promote general usability, with application to a variety of play components. Additional features will assist in making play components more accessible to more children.

After close examination of the way the people building our public schools and parks in Hawaii, "additional features" have taken a backseat to cost and ease of installation. Everywhere you look you see playground designs with the minimum ground level components installed. These components are generally the lowest cost and usually the least functional. They meet the law but are pretty much useless when it comes to function. If you are interested in knowing more about ADA law, here's a good link:

http://www.access-board.gov/news/playguide.htm

I do have good news to report, however. All is not lost and soon Hawaii will get to see first hand the difference between compliance and function. It is my understanding that Central Maui Park has such a park on the drawing boards right now being designed by Boundless Playgrounds, a design group that specializes is type of park. You can visit them here and see some of their work.

http://www.boundlessplaygrounds.org/.

Until that happens, I can only offer you articles written about other far away places who seem to be building their playrounds with a concience and have realized that play is important to ALL children.

New Playground Design Makes Play More Accessible
November 19, 2004


What do you get when you combine a traditional playground with the concept of universal design? A park that just about any child would be thrilled and able to play in, and possibly one of the most popular parks in Logan, Utah.
The playground, housed in Logan’s Willow West Park, is called Angels’ Landing, and it’s being designed specifically for accessibility by landscape architects from Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities. The goal: to let children of all abilities play in a place that is able to safely accommodate them.
"The simplest way to explain it is: We don't worry as much about the wheelchair or the device the child is using. We spend more time thinking about the child and what they are able, and would like, to do. It's activity focused, instead of equipment focused," said Keith Christensen, one of the architects working on the project, in an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune.
Rather than a traditional playground that focuses on climbing, the architects are creating a place that they say will highlight “exploratory and creative play.” Gone are the jungle gyms and swing sets; in their place are playhouses, musical instruments, buckets, shovels, and other interactive objects – all easily reached and maneuvered by children of any ability. Instead of modifying existing ideas and concepts, this group is starting from scratch on its playground with the ergonomic approach of designing for the users’ abilities.
In the United States, the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) requires that all new and altered playgrounds be accessible and usable by people with disabilities. According to the National Center on Accessibility (NCA), the ADA guidelines cover some of the basics regarding the size and scope of playgrounds, but the group also offers its own design recommendations on making a playground truly accessible. Included in the NCA’s suggestions are appropriate seat or entry height for swings and slides, the amount of maneuvering space that should be around a playground component and guidelines regarding accessible routes and surfaces.
But at the Logan park, as well as two others the group has designed, the goal is a little different: "We make sure that everything is accessible and usable. We want it to be a fun place for every child so we aren't segregating children with disabilities to one area,” Christensen said.
But can a playground without swings, slides and all of the other traditional equipment be considered any fun? If public use means anything, then the answer is yes. At a similar playground the group designed, a representative noted that it’s so full of kids having fun “you can hardly get in there.”
Plus there may be another benefit to a more accessible playground – improved safety. Annually, over 200,000 children go to the emergency room as the result of accidents involving playground equipment. More specifically, climbing equipment like jungle gyms account for the greatest percentage of injuries for all children, regardless of age. Coming in a close second for children ages 0 through 4 are slides, and for children between the ages of 5 and 14 are swings.
Sources: Salt Lake Tribune; National Center on Accessibility; The National Program for Playground Safety
-- Jeanie Croasmun