Latest news with #accessibleplayground
CTV News
6 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Construction begins on Innisfil's first fully accessible park
Work is now underway on Margaretta Park, a new community space that will feature Innisfil's first fully accessible playground. The park is being built in the Sleeping Lion subdivision, located north of 6th Line and east of 20th Sideroad. At 3.5 hectares, it will be one of the largest parks in town and easy to reach from surrounding roads. Margaretta Park will include: A fully inclusive playground with rubber surfacing A splash pad Multi-use trails Parking and washrooms Picnic areas, shade structures, and garbage bins Naturalized green space with trees and plantings The idea for an accessible park came from the Innisfil Accessibility Advisory Committee (IAAC), which has worked with the Town since 2016 to make public spaces more inclusive. While many parks now have features for children with different abilities, space and budget limits can make it hard to include equipment for wheelchair users at every site. To fix this, the IAAC proposed building one large 'Champion Park' with full wheelchair access. In consultation with Town staff, the IAAC chose this central location to make it easier for people across Innisfil to visit. One highlight of the playground will be the We-Go-Swing, which allows wheelchair users to roll on and swing safely with others. The park is named in honour of Margaretta Papp-Belayneh, a former chair of the IAAC whose dedication to accessibility helped inspire the project. The Innisfil Beach Cruisers Car Club donated $12,000 toward the project. Construction is expected to be finished by summer 2026.
BBC News
7 days ago
- General
- BBC News
SEN and disabled children in Littlemore to get bespoke playground
Plans for an accessible playground to make life easier for SEND children and families have taken a step Parish Council has chosen a supplier for the play area, which will have rides suitable for a range of disabilities and special could include a sensory area, wheelchair-friendly equipment and a communications board for non-verbal Carter, who runs an SEN learning provider and has been advising the council, said: "It's really important that these vital spaces are inclusive for our community. "If you get things right for children and young people with SEND needs then you get it right for everybody - but it doesn't always work the other way round."Unless things are fully accessible, people with a physical or learning won't be able to take part in things and be a full member of the community - and surely that's what we we want."The current site includes swings, a log walk and picnic Parish Council submitted an Invitation to Tender for the site in April, meaning contractors and suppliers could bid to take on the building allocation of £90,000 in Community Infrastructure Levy money has been made to the project.A investigation by disability charity Scope in 2023 found only two out of the 19 playgrounds they visited in Oxfordshire met a high standard of assessed the sites on criteria like step-free access, colourful equipment, wheelchair-friendly equipment and handrail support. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
