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Playground Information

What is a playground for children of all abilities?

• A playground for children of all abilities is one which offers play structures and facilities that are fully accessible to children with special needs encouraging the social integration of all children in a recreational setting. The Rotary Centennial Playground was carefully planned, with the help of local organizations serving children with disabilities, to ensure that the needs of all disability groups would be met; physical, developmental, cognitive, learning and sensory, including both hearing and visual impairments. The differing degrees of disability, ranging from mild to severe, were also taken into account.

• There are approximately 4000 children with special needs in the Ottawa region. Currently there are limited recreational facilities that are wheelchair accessible and meet the needs of these children. Some playgrounds existed where one or two pieces of equipment were accessible, but there was nothing of the magnitude of this new facility, which took into account the needs of various disability groups; physical, developmental, cognitive, learning and sensory, including both hearing and visual impairments. Planning also took into account that children have varying degrees of disability from mild to severe.

• The Rotary Centennial Playground for Children Of All Abilities was built in the existing playground at Brewer Park on Bronson Avenue.
  Click here to see a Map of Brewer Park, Ottawa, ON
  

• Faye Porter, a member of a local Rotary club, while leading a Rotary Group Study Exchange in Australia, was inspired by an award winning playground of this nature. Upon her return to Ottawa, she proposed that a similar project be developed by the Ottawa area Rotary clubs. The clubs accepted her proposal as a suitable project to celebrate Rotary International's Centennial in 2005.

• Images of the playground and pictures of some of the play structures and apparatus can be seen in the Pictures/Images page.

• First and foremost, the Playground Management Committee worked to ensure compliance with all safety standards.

  The playground substrata were designed to provide enjoyable play and at the same time provide soft landing in the case of falls. Structures higher than 450mm were underlain with a soft modular safety surface paving tiles extensive enough to encompass the area under the apparatus so as to prevent serious injury in the case of a fall.

  All grade changes will encourage independent mobility for those in wheel chairs. Slopes do not exceed 8%, and intermittent landings have been provided for slopes longer than 9 meters. All stairs, ramps and steep slopes have handrails at least 800mm high. Guardrails for elevated areas will be at least 1070mm high.

  All structures and landscaping provide appropriate opportunity for caregivers and guardians to observe children at play.

• The playground provides a range of degrees of challenges for children of all abilities taking into account the five broad categories of disability that need to be accommodated when considering the design of the play area. These are; physical, developmental, cognitive, learning and sensory, including both hearing and visual impairments. It must also be remembered that children have varying degrees of disability from mild to severe.

  Some of the needs of the children that have been targeted by the play facilities are; balance, strength, coordination, motor skills, imagination, organization of thought, identification, direction and development/stimulations of senses other than visual or auditory.

  Some of the facilities that have been provided to ensure that the above have been achieved include theme play areas, gear and puzzle panels, picture communication symbols, circuits or labyrinths, talk-tubes, crawl tunnels, colour breaks, material and texture changes, sound and sensory panels.

• Surface material immediately around play areas is stable and solid under foot to accommodate mobility aids while, at the same time providing safe surfaces that will save children from serious injury in the event of a fall.

• Shaded areas are extremely important as places of retreat from the sun and play areas. While some playground patrons simply wish a comfortable atmosphere out of the sun and away from busy play settings, others may require such areas because of hypersensitivity to sunlight or noise. Shade close to play areas is important to ensure that children do not feel that they are leaving a play area completely for a rest area. Some children have the potential to experience times of over stimulation. In such instances it is important that they be able to move to shaded areas with suitable relaxing environments while not being isolated or hidden from the environment from which they are taking a break.

  The two shade structures in the current playground were retained and equipped with accessible furniture. Rest areas under trees surrounded by appropriate plantings offer calm, cool and attractive settings for rest and/or retreat.

• Caregivers and guardians must be able to supervise and respond to children if assistance is needed. The design of play structures, structural components and surfacing materials allows guardians and caregivers of all abilities easy access to the children. Solid surfaces allow those who use mobility aids easy access to the play structures.

  Seating, rest and supervision areas have been located close to play settings. In addition to the safety aspect, seating arrangements help to promote social interaction amongst children and help to encourage play activities. It is important that caregivers and guardians be in positive settings so that they may interact, form friendships and exchange experiences.