Is There a Need for a Boundless Playground?
The City of Escondido is committed to eliminating barriers that prevent people with disabilities, including children, from participating fully in day-to-day life. While city playgrounds may meet the requirements of the American's With Disabilities Act, children and parents in wheelchairs still are unable to really use the play structures. The sad truth is that children with disabilities usually are relegated to the sidelines. There are no opportunities for children with physical disabilities to play without leaving their wheelchairs, no sensory-rich activities for children with sight or hearing impairments, no quiet activities for children with developmental disabilities, and no opportunities for children of all abilities to experience the joy of playing side by side. For children with special needs, a playground is not a basic joy of childhood. Instead, it can be a place of frustration and humiliation.
"Kids of all abilities just want to have a chance to play together, including my brother and classmates who can run, a boy I know uses a walker because he has cerebral palsy and kids like me who use a wheelchair. I want every child in our nation to experience the joy I do in playgrounds where everyone, even kids like me, are welcome."
Matthew Cavedon, Age 12
Chairman of Boundless Playgrounds, Junior Advisory Board
