“Play is a fundamental human right that is denied by many children, youth and adults who live with disabilities due to inaccessible play spaces.”
This is the philosophy that has driven the development of Airdrie’s first inclusive playground.
“Play does not discriminate, but inaccessible playgrounds do,” says Airdrie resident Kayla McPhail.
“Therefore, our mission was to help create a fully inclusive playground space for everyone. We accomplished our goal by removing a barrier and creating a space for people of all abilities to access and enjoy.”
In 2022, McPhail partnered Variety Alberta – The Children’s Charity, and Shelby Perrotta, an early childhood educator specializing in early intervention, to build Airdrie’s first inclusive playground.
“There are a number of accessible playgrounds here, but that indicates that they have a ramp and a child in a wheelchair can be wheeled onto the playground, not necessarily that they can play or interact with the equipment,” says Perrotta.
“Why are we doing only the bare minimum of getting these kids on the park and only at some parks?”
McPhail’s eight-year-old son, Bronson, has cerebral palsy and is non-verbal and non-mobile. He uses a walker and a wheelchair. Perrotta was his education assistant at Munchkin Academy Preschool in 2018 and has stayed close friends with McPhail and her family.
“We would visit family in Cochrane where they have an inclusive playground and seeing the joy on his face when he could actually play on the equipment was incredible,” says McPhail.
“His sister can wheel him onto the trampoline and play with him. We want to be out in public and show that we can have fun, too.”
Inspired by Bronson’s love of the Cochrane playground, the duo worked hard to raise funds for the project through community fundraisers, door-to-door canvassing of local businesses and a Facebook page.
Working Together
Working with Variety Alberta, Perrotta and McPhail raised $110,000 for the project. Variety supports children with disabilities and specialized needs. The organization is non-disability-specific and aims to create inclusive, healthy communities.
Charity staff reached out to the City of Airdrie and formed a partnership to make the Bayside-community playground an inclusive one.
“With this partnership, we both agreed to bring 50 per cent of the funds needed for this to be a fully inclusive design that included accessible rubber surfacing,” says Jana Hands, chief executive officer of Variety Alberta.
The original playground in Bayside was up for replacement according to the City’s life cycle program; it contributed the cost to replace it with a playground of similar size.
“The City of Airdrie thinks this project was very worthy because it provides all children the opportunity to play with their peers and promotes equal access to recreational activities,” says Cory Anderson, City of Airdrie parks co-ordinator.
“An inclusive playground fosters social interaction among children of diverse backgrounds and helps to break down barriers and build community. It also raises awareness about inclusivity and disability, teaching kids about empathy and acceptance from a young age.”
To date, Variety Alberta has supported 19 inclusive-playground builds since 2017 in communities throughout Alberta. Aside from the playground in Cochrane that inspired McPhail, this includes others built in Calgary, Okotoks, Blackfalds, Innisfail, Camrose, Edmonton, St. Albert and at a school on the Tsuut’ina Nation.
“Playgrounds are the last public space that are built without consideration to the needs of persons living with disabilities,” says Hands. “Inclusive playgrounds break down barriers and create spaces where everyone can play and engage. It is really important step towards creating inclusive communities for all individuals.
“There is no legislation or policy in Alberta mandating playgrounds to be inclusive or accessible. Because of this, we continue to see playgrounds built to exclude children or community members living with disabilities and mobility limitations.”
Moving Forward
Perrotta and McPhail aim to change that. They plan to work towards influencing legislation that would mandate all playgrounds be at least accessible, if not inclusive.
“Disability is the largest minority group and the only minority group that anyone can become a part of at any time in their lives,” says Perrotta.
“We hope this project sets an example to excel on all other projects going forward. We want accessibility to be a bare minimum. It is discriminatory to have playgrounds with rocks surrounded by wooden framing just because it is cheaper to make them that way. We hope to do something to change that.”
The playground at 1220 Bayside Rise S.W. includes a rubber surface, a wheelchair-accessible trampoline, slide, swing, musical features, monkey bars, sensory panel, communication board, gymnastic bar, rings, merry-all-go-round and a roller table.
Work on the playground was completed in June 2024 and it was officially unveiled in a grand opening celebration on July 19 with 120 attendees and barbecue. McPhail and Perrotta say they have heard nothing but positive feedback from caregivers and children in the community since the opening.
