ZAP - News

"ALL ACCESS PLAYGROUND IS A FIRST" - The Mississauga News, June 10, 2001
A new playground that will allow physically disabled children to play alongside other youngsters may become a blueprint for other facilities across the city. Described by City of Mississauga officials as a "First In Canada" - the Zonta Accessible Playground named for the local women's service group and located in Zonta Meadows Park on Rathburn Rd. W. - opened to the public Friday (June 8), nearly four years after the concept was initially hatched.

The $300,000 "barrier free" facility will allow children of all abilities to benefit from specifically designed play zones that stimulate many of the senses, including touch, smell, sound and sight, officials say.
Pauline Auty, of the Zonta Club of Mississauga said the service organization has had formal stewardship of the park since the mid- 1980's and four years ago began looking at ways in which to improve the deteriorating equipment.

"The playground was becoming antiquated, so we started thinking about what we would do with it, what we would have it look like," said Auty. "The more we looked at it, we wanted it to reflect our goals ... one of which is for children of all abilities to be able to play together. "

In an attempt to extend the benefits of the new play area beyond the limits of Zonta Meadows Park, Zonta officials have asked the City to incorporate lessons learned from the project into other play space designs in Mississauga.

Ward 4 City Councillor Frank Dale said he's on board with that idea and hopes the Zonta project will become a flagship for Mississauga, and across the province. "We are certainly going to look at incorporating similar features in other play areas in the city," said Dale. "This one made the most sense because it’s centrally located. But we will look at doing similar things at other play areas."

Faced with the challenge of designing a play facility that would truly address the needs of physically disabled youngsters, City planners and architects went directly to the source during the planning stages of the project, said Auty.

Design teams sought input from teenage clients of Erinoak, an Erin Mills-based organization which serves young people with physical disabilities. Erinoak Mentors, teenage clients who help the younger children cope with their disabilities, played a key role in the development of the play area. The design, which is based on stimulating the five senses with a variety of play spaces and events, came directly from those youngsters, officials said.

"They (Mentors) provided city planners with insight as how they felt regular playgrounds were not accessible to them growing up; that they missed out on that and they didn't want the younger children to miss out on the opportunity," said Paula Graham Harvey, a family resource worker with Erinoak. In essence, said Graham Harvey, the playground will allow those with mobility problems to explore play equipment both on their own and safely.

"Overall, it is such an outstanding initiative. It will make a world of difference for our (Erinoak) families ... and it's not only for Erinoak families and clients, but it will help all people who have mobility difficulties," she said.

Carol Hennigar, a Zonta Club director and occupational therapist, said the project was about much more than seeking accessible equipment for disabled children. "We are taking a universal design approach, focusing not just on accessibility but on integration," said Hennigar. "If we create a space where people can all play together, integration will naturally occur. Many so-called 'accessible playgrounds' do not foster interaction of able and disabled children; rather they have isolated components which may be accessible. We need to change this."

The City and provincial government chipped in $200,000 to the project, with the remaining $100,000 to be collected via Zonta fundraising events, Auty said. So far the service club has raised $40,000.