07-05-2025
Against anti-DEI tide, NJ towns are spending millions to make playgrounds more accessible
As federal officials threaten to cut funding over DEI programs, some New Jersey towns are investing millions to ensure children with and without disabilities can play side by side.
These efforts reflect a broader shift across the state as more communities reimagine public spaces to comply with Jake's Law, the 2018 legislation named after South Jersey's Jacob Cummings-Nasto or 'Baby Jake,' who died of a rare cardiac condition.
The law calls for 'completely inclusive playgrounds' that follow standards set by the state's departments of Community Affairs and Education and funded by the Department of Environmental Protection's Green Acres program.
The law seems to be achieving its desired effect, said Woodland Park Borough Administrator Sam Yodice, whose town has finalized its design and plans to solicit bids in June.
"It was the piece that got us over the top,' he said. The town had been saving money to renovate Diane Grimes Memorial Park. But winning a $750,000 grant allowed Woodland Park to go 'all in' with a comprehensive, inclusive $1.3 million–$1.4 million redesign.
Other parks in the works include Pascack Brook County Park in Westwood, Argonne Park in Teaneck, Habernickel Park in Ridgewood, and communities beyond North Jersey, including Evesham, Montgomery, Brigantine, Toms River and Cherry Hill. Many are pursuing the projects with the help of state grants and partnerships with advocacy organizations.
The Township of Little Falls opened their much anticipated renovated and inclusive playground at Wilmore Park. Pictured is Mayor James Damiano during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
One advocate, Mercedes Witowsky, executive director of the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities and mother to a 35-year-old daughter with disabilities, is happy with the increasing number of accessible playgrounds popping up in recent years.
But she also urges towns not to confuse good intentions with true accessibility.
'I just have to stop and not take the words 'inclusive' and 'accessible' at face value,' she said. Witowsky recounted her daughter's recent visit to a Morris County park that claimed to be inclusive. 'There was no close parking, the terrain didn't accommodate a wheelchair, and there wasn't a single piece of equipment that an adult with disabilities could use."
What makes a playground inclusive?
The Woodland Park project will feature inclusive equipment for children ages 2 to 12, quiet spaces for kids who need breaks, and a new ramp to connect the lower playground with its upper athletic fields.
"We think it's going to be a super-dynamic park," Yodice said. "This initiative is going to give this town a place for everyone to go."
Yodice's favorite feature will be found in one of the park's two quiet spaces.
"You can go and sit on a larger chair and then it has smaller tree stumps and kids can sit around and listen to somebody read a story or even just tell a story," he said. 'So we're calling it our 'reader throne.' We think that's a pretty cool aspect. I don't think a lot of parks have that.' Yodice said the town hopes to have it ready by next spring.
Playgrounds that qualify go beyond ADA compliance. Guidelines call for rubberized surfaces, accessible bathrooms, fencing, shaded areas, and play equipment that supports a wide range of physical, sensory and cognitive needs, according to the Cherry Hill nonprofit Build Jake's Place, which helped develop them.
Students in the special education program at Licking Heights Everest Elementary will visit LifeTown, a 5,000 square foot facility in New Albany designed to teach disabled students essential life skills, once a month for the remainder of the 2024-25 school year. Here, students enjoy the facility's sensory-friendly playground during their introductory visit.
Witowsky, whose daughter had a stroke at age 16 and still loves the swings, doesn't want communities focused on the design of play structures to overlook features like parking and terrain.
'If you can't get to it or use it, it kind of defeats the purpose,' Witowsky said.
Where are inclusive playgrounds being built?
Passaic County is also investing $850,000 to replace outdated equipment at Weasel Brook Park in Clifton to build an inclusive playground. A completion date has not yet been announced.
Neighboring Bergen County is incorporating those standards into its plans for a new playground at Pascack Brook County Park in Westwood. The county was recently awarded a $1 million Green Acres grant that it will match with funds from its own coffers, said County Executive James Tedesco's deputy chief of staff, Alan Sands.
'We are still in the planning stage at this point for the project and (the Parks Department) is currently in the process of bringing on a firm for design work. Once that is finalized, the anticipated timeline is about two years,' said Sands.
The Pascack Brook Completely Inclusive Playground will feature shaded play areas, a quiet play area and play equipment for children from 2 to 12 years old. There will also be fencing, a wheelchair accessible see-saw, a wheelchair accessible merry-go-round and cognitive play boards (interactive panels that engage children in problem-solving and sensory activities), according to Sands, who added that the plans are conceptual and might change over time.
Community input was 'vital,' to the project, Sands said. A two-month survey generated 339 responses, nearly a third of whom said they care for a child with a disability or medical issue. When asked whether it's important that Bergen County have a 'completely inclusive playground,' 77% of survey participants replied that it was 'very important.'
A girl joyfully ran through bubbles at the dedication of the inclusive playground at Blendon Woods Metro Park on Thursday.
Witowsky, whose council is tasked with the mission of empowering people with disabilities, cautions that input must also be sought from people with disabilities.
'You can build something terrific, but if the people it's meant for can't access it or weren't included in its design, why did we spend this money?'
'Nobody with a disability is going to charge you for that feedback," she said. "They just want to participate. It makes the project better,' she said.
Ridgewood has secured a $68,000 grant to begin replacing the wooden structure at Habernickel Park with a modern, accessible design, with construction expected to begin this year.
Teaneck was awarded $1.125 million in grant funding to enhance the playground at Milton Votee Park ($750,000) and the restrooms and play areas at Argonne Park ($375,000).
'Families who face these challenges are appreciative that the county is moving in this direction with our playgrounds and are very attentive to make sure that we live up to our promises to be the best place in New Jersey to raise any family,' Sands said.
This article originally appeared on New inclusive playgrounds in NJ: These towns are building them
