ALL-ABILITIES PLAYGROUND - JACKSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Check out KYA on the News! All-abilities playground: An inclusive, first-of-its-kind place to play in El Dorado County.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Building Name: Jackson Elementary School Inclusive Playground
Building Location: El Dorado Hills, California, United States
Building Type: Inclusive Playgrounds
Project Type: Complete turnkey ADA/inclusive playground
DESCRIPTION
Walk with Austin, a non-profit initiated by the parents of Austin Reininger, aimed to establish an inclusive playground swiftly, providing a space for their son and other differently-abled children in the community to play alongside their peers. The principal of Jackson Elementary, Austin's school, took it upon themselves to raise funds and make this dream a reality. Collaborating with various groups for fundraising, the principal sought the expertise of KYA to create a new inclusive playground for the school.
GOALS
Jackson Elementary's existing playground featured some inclusive elements, but the bark-based flooring posed challenges for wheelchair-bound children. The objective was to replace the current playground entirely, constructing an accessible space with modern equipment and inclusive elements for both students and the community.
PROCESS
OVERVIEW
KYA engaged with Jackson Elementary School to comprehend their specific requirements, including a rapid turnaround time. They designed, sourced and executed all aspects of the renovation efficiently. The project was facilitated through a CMAS contract, streamlining the procurement process for the entire inclusive playground.
CONSTRUCTION
PRODUCTS AND SYSTEMS
The first step involved installing a new pour-in-place flooring to create a smooth surface, ensuring accessibility to various play equipment. KYA designed and implemented elevated and ground-level play components in adherence to ADA standards. This included tandem swings with bucket seats and safety harnesses, a specially designed zip line and other features to make play accessible to all. Ground-level components comprised an ADA carousel, ground-to-deck ramp and musical play equipment. Elevated play equipment featured a Rock and Wave platform, zip line, sign language panel and roller slide.
PROJECT RESULTS
Holly Reininger, Executive Director for Walk With Austin, expressed, "Everyone is having fun on this playground. It is not specifically for kids with disabilities. It is to include kids with disabilities and it's beautiful." Michele Williamson, the school's principal, added, "They can actually go up on the play structure in their wheelchairs. There's different activities they can do on the play structure and be a part of, with all the children together."
Williamson continued, "For the past few years, our children in wheelchairs have sat on the sidewalk and watched the other children play because it was a bark-based playground. We have seven students in wheelchairs here at Jackson, so before, they would come down to the play structure, but really couldn’t interact with the children."
The transformation has not only made the playground accessible but has fostered a sense of inclusivity, enabling all children to play and interact together seamlessly.
