Christina McCollum Davis and her daughter Tala are part of the Comforting Hearts group.
(Dave Foster, WVUT)
A support group in Washington is raising funds to get a new playground built that will be suitable for kids of all abilities.
Kaity Hunt is 8-years-old, lives in Washington and attends Washington Community Intermediate School just across from Longfellow Park.
She needs a wheelchair, and she just wants to be able to play with her sister.
"We can’t go to parks because I can barely do anything. I just have to watch my sister play," she said.
Kaity lives with Segmental Spinal Dysgenesis, a rare spinal abnormality giving her different abilities than most.
Her mom, April founded a support group in Washington for those with family members with special needs. It's called Comforting Hearts and they had their first meeting in March. It was at that meeting the discussion was started about a new playground.
"She can’t roll around too much on the mulch and rock. Whenever there’s playgrounds and when we get there the equipment is not suitable," Hunt said. "We have really nice parks in our town its just that there’s not anything that’s all-inclusive for children of all abilities."
Kaity Hunt is 8-years-old and lives in Washington and attends Washington Community Intermediate School just across from Longfellow Park.
Soon the Comforting Hearts group morphed into a movement to build an all inclusive playground. Longfellow Park does have a playground that is ADA accessible according to the American with Disabilities Act.
However, as families like the Hunts learn, ADA accessible does not always mean accessible or all inclusive.
"She struggles with the mulch," Hunt said. "She struggles, she would not be able to get up in the jungle gym, she would not be able to go over to the swings, she would not be able to get into the chair over there."
Christina McCollum Davis and her daughter Tala are part of the Comforting Hearts group. Christina serves as the group's secretary. Tala is also in a wheelchair and has one of the most severe forms of muscular dystrophy known as Walker-Worburg Syndrome.
It affects the muscles, brain and eyes. Tala also cannot experience play at most parks. She needs assistance to get to the equipment and then cannot interact with it.
"I have to use my hands to help her play and touch and feel things," Davis said. "So it’s very important for her because she needs full body support to be able to stay in her wheel chair. To be able to swing in a wheelchair accessible chair."
A support group in Washington is raising funds to get a new playground built that will be suitable for kids of all abilities.
Since Tala is also visually impaired, she needs sensory options while at play.
"Things that make sound, something that she can touch and feel. Things that have different textures on it. It’s really important for her to be able to experience the world because she doesn’t experience the world like we do,” Davis said.
In a letter to community leaders seeking support for an all inclusive playground, Comforting Hearts explain that it's widely documented that non-inclusive recreational facilities increase the segregation of kids with disabilities, adding to the negative stigma they suffer.
Comforting Hearts did their research and solicited and obtained bids. It was no surprise for those who live in the disability world that the cost is much higher for equipment and material when they are labeled special needs.
"Because it has to do with different abilities, anything that has to do with a child with different abilities or an adult you’re paying twice as much so the playground is going to cost us more just because we have to fit it for every child,” Hunt said.
Hunt said the plans include an all accessible playground gym, where a child in a wheelchair, walker or crutches can enter the gym. Sensory objects will be located throughout for those with autism, and hearing and vision issues.
There will be a teeter-totter where a child with different abilities can sit in the middle to experience the sensation while others on the ends make it go.
There will also be a flat merry-go-round allowing a wheel chair to roll up and the occupant can stay in the chair while riding.
Hunt is hopeful the new playground can be built in the summer of 2023.
The plans include an all-accessible playground gym, where a child in a wheelchair, walker or crutches can enter the gym.
"There are some kids out there on a time limit. That may never get to see this playground built and that’s not what I want. I want all children to be able to see this playground,” Hunt said.
The city of Washington is home to several beautiful parks, we asked April, why does Comforting Hearts want the new playground located in Longfellow Park.
"They have a lot of children from Daviess and Martin Counties that have different abilities and I thought how great would it be for them to bring their kids here as a field trip one day and let them play with no barriers.”
Kaity says she just wants people to know that kids with wheelchairs and all of these disabilities they can do more than just sit on the sidelines, they can watch and play.
And what does Kaity want to play on when the new playground is built?
“The teeter-totter, the merry-go-round... I just want to play on everything so I can be happy.”
