Giving Compass' Take:

• Erin Brownfield explains how Olenka Villarreal championed a truly inclusive playground where all kids, including kids with disabilities, can play together. 

• Accessible equipment exists but is expensive. Is there a playground in your area that could be improved with the help of funding? 

• Learn about the importance of parks.

Olenka Villarreal is changing the way people think about playgrounds, an effort that began with a simple question: Shouldn’t her daughter Ava, who has developmental disabilities, be able to use swings at the park just like anyone else?

At that time, the answer was that she couldn’t. There were no swings at schools or parks in her community that could support Ava safely since she needed a swing with a harness — and swinging was one of the therapeutic treatments specialists had suggested.

Villarreal thought there ought to be a solution, for her daughter and for others with cognitive and physical limitations. In 2015, after 7 years of planning, designing and fundraising, Villarreal and her team opened Magical Bridge in Palo Alto, believed to be the first fully inclusive playground in the nation. Its motto is, “Where everyone can play.”

Magical Bridge was designed from the ground up to be enjoyed by people with physical limitations, people with cognitive impairments — and people who are not disabled. Villarreal says Magical Bridge is not a “special needs” playground but welcomes everyone in order to encourage different kinds of people to get comfortable with one another. It features a two-story tree house and stage that is fully accessible by wheelchair, auditory and sensory equipment, a spinning zone — and all of the swings are Ava-friendly.

Read the full article about making accessible playgrounds by Erin Brownfield at EdSource.