Playground Guide - 2018 - 22

The author will provide insight
on this topic during a Speed
Session, titled " Harmonizing
Your Community's Approach to
Inclusive Play: Gaining Perspective
and Increasing Usability, " during
the 2018 NRPA Annual Conference
in Indianapolis. For time and
location, check out the full
schedule under the Education tab
at www.nrpa.org/conference/.

able by " all children with disabilities,
a phrase used throughout the ADA to
communicate the general obligations
of the regulations, may require going
beyond the minimum. Universal design is an approach to designing products, services and environments to be
usable by as many people as possible,
to the greatest degree. Thoughtfully
applying The 7 Principles of Inclusive Playground Design ™ to outdoor play environments creates high-quality
spaces where both physical and social inclusion can occur.
Communities can now embrace the ADA Accessibili-

The play environment addresses
current safety standards
while providing developmental
opportunities needed for exploration
and challenge.

BE
SAFE

ty Standards for Play Areas (ŚƩƉƐ͗ͬͬ
ƟŶǇƵƌů͘ĐŽŵͬǇďǌǆǁϲϵϳ) as the critical
foundation for access, and go beyond
the minimum standards to universally
design a robust assortment of meaningful experiences to delight users of
all abilities. As part of the best-practice process, they can also engage
diverse community members to gain
perspective on inclusive features that would be most beneficial for them. Then, they can partner with credible and
trusted sources that are knowledgeable and experienced
with meeting technical standards, while also innovating
physical and social inclusion.
What would entice users to visit the playground more often,
what " active fun " can we help facilitate while they are there and
how can we get them to stay longer? What community groups
and organizations can utilize the space for free play, as well as
programming for even more inclusive play offerings? How can
parents or caregivers who are older, or those with disabilities,
engage with the space in a meaningful way to increase and encourage intergenerational play experiences?

DNA Towers
New Towers in three different sizes, spacial nets inside
and endless options of combination.
www.berliner-playequipment.com

Berliner Seilfabrik Play Equipment Corporation - 96 Brookfield Oaks Drive, Suite 140, Greenville, SC 29607
Toll-free: 1-877-837-3676

Parks & Recreation

BE
ACTIVE

A research-based approach is compulsory to ensure that the direction, design and
execution result in desired outcomes. Successful groups
who are working to achieve greater diversity and increase
inclusion understand that credible, scholarly research is
required to identify barriers, create evidence-based recommendations, promote intentional approaches to design,
measure outcomes and provide clear, measurable guidelines to promote equal opportunities. Implementation of
these steps benefit the whole child, whole environment
and whole community.
Prioritizing your inclusive playground design from the
user's perspective, while also meeting the standards, should
be a harmonious process that results in joy and meaningful
play experiences for children and adults of all ages and abilities. Embrace the technical provisions and don't forget to
also celebrate the additional innovative ways we can impact
social equity on every community playground.

Visit us at
NRPA
707!
booth #1

The play environment supports
various degrees of physical and
social participation in play while
minimizing unnecessary fatigue.

Lisa Moore is the Senior Vice President of Strategic Services at
PlayCore (ůŵŽŽƌĞΛƉůĂǇĐŽƌĞ͘ĐŽŵ).

| 2 0 1 8 P L AYG R O U N D G U I D E | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

http://www.nrpa.org/conference/ http://www.berliner-playequipment.com http://www.TION.ORG

Playground Guide - 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Playground Guide - 2018