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"Getting to the Centre of the Action"—The Importance of Inclusive Playgrounds

In 2006, Kim Sanderson, an innovative projects coordinator with the City of Edmonton’s Community Services department, accompanied a mother and her five-year-old daughter, Sarah, to the Riverdale community playground. The playground had recently been upgraded and the new design promised to be inclusive and accessible. Sanderson wanted to see how Sarah, who has spina bifida, was able to interact with the playground equipment and other children in the play space.

Reflecting back on that day, Sanderson says, “It was amazing just watching. That little girl was everywhere on that site. She was in the centre of the action. Not on the outside looking in.”

Providing for Access

Sarah’s ability to engage so fully and independently at the playground can be attributed to the careful planning that went into its design and construction. Earlier in the decade, Sanderson and a small group of colleagues had begun to work on a local accessibility standard that would be applied to each new play space developed under the City’s jurisdiction. These efforts in turn would “ensure opportunities for all young people to be social, creative, and physical.”

In 2006, the team’s dream of supporting all kids in Edmonton to be “in the centre of the action” at the playground became reality. That year, Edmonton became the first Canadian city to adopt an accessibility standard that would be applied to all new and retrofitted play spaces. The standard, which was based on a nationally legislated standard out of the U.S., was then incorporated into their overall Playground Standards directive. Since that time, a world of innovative and exciting play spaces has opened up to those with disabilities in Edmonton.

From City Policy to National Standard

As part of their adoption of an accessibility standard for play spaces, senior management directed staff to advocate for a national standard. As it so happened, the Canadian Standards Association was in the process of updating their Z614-Children’s Playspace and Equipment Standard and had formed a sub-committee to look at the accessibility issue. Throughout 2006 and 2007, Sanderson sat on the sub-committee whose work resulted in the establishment of Annex H, Children’s Playspaces and Equipment that are Accessible to Person’s with Disabilities. Annex H, a supplement to the main Standard document, outlines a minimum requirement for developing play spaces that are accessible for children with disabilities. Once approved at the national level in May 2007, Edmonton’s accessibility standard was superseded by Annex H.

Edmonton’s Parks Today

While we can celebrate having a national accessible play spaces standard, Sanderson notes that the road to actual implementation of the standard at the local level is not necessarily an easy one. Out the outset of the Edmonton journey, a communications strategy was prepared to show the importance of extending accessibility measures to the playground. Design, construction and operations staff needed to be educated on the standard’s content, and adjustments were required to related policies and procedures. Finally, advocates needed to make the case to management that just as with safety, the standard had to be applied to all new and renovated playspaces.

Currently, about 50 of the City’s 140 play spaces are accessible. And the number continues to grow. With 20 to 25 new or upgraded playgrounds being built in Edmonton each year, it won’t be long before all of Edmonton’s playgrounds meet the accessibility standard.

The Playground Challenge

Sanderson challenges Albertans to take the extra step and create playgrounds that meet the accessibility needs of all community members. How can this be achieved? In the absence of provincial legislation, institutions and organization need to first, formally adopt Annex H as their accessibility standard for new and renovated playgrounds under their jurisdiction. Once adopted, Annex should then become part of current playground policy. Where CSA-Z614 Children’s Playspace and Equipment Standard is already included as part of local policy, it may be a simple matter of adding the language “…including Annex H”. “Incorporating accessibility standards into policy is everything: it sets the tone and it closes the circle,” says Sanderson.

(A policy template can be found online at www.allabilitieswelcome.ca/Playspaces.)

Inclusion is Key

Today, when kids head to the playground in Edmonton, opportunities abound for all kinds of play. Regardless of ability, children find themselves “in the centre of the action,” just as Sarah did four years ago. Edmonton can be proud of its commitment to inclusive play. As Sanderson notes, “Building accessible playgrounds means all kids are given the chance to reach their potential and have fun just being kids playing with their friends.”