It means a lot for parents of children with disabilities to see them play outside with others on play structures that are accessible and safe. Virden doesn’t have an accessible playground – yet. However, at the Virden Oil Capitals game in Tundra Oil & Gas Place, Valleyview Co-op, the game sponsor, on Friday, March 15 will have a booth on the upper concourse to provide information for community members and an opportunity to contribute to the creation of an accessible playground in Virden.
Parent Andrea Gray is the spark behind this project. She has a passion to see her son and other children with different abilities playing outside, interacting and having fun.
“After a trip to the accessible playground at the Discovery Centre in Brandon, and watching how incredible it was for my son to navigate that space independently and interact with other children on the playground, I got to work trying to figure out how to bring a similar space to Virden,” says Gray.
She’s referring to the Westman Dreams for Kids Accessibility Park in Brandon, where accessible variations of popular playground items include a teeter totter, spinner and interactive ground-level activities provide an opportunity for kids of all abilities to play.
“We are looking to create a playground space that is fully accessible and inclusive for children of all ages and abilities. As a parent of a wheelchair user, I can attest to the fact that our community currently does not have an outdoor space that is fully accessible,” Gray says, adding, “Whether it’s the ground surfacing or the pieces of equipment themselves, there is always a barrier to full access and independent use of the current spaces for folks who are differently abled.”
At Friday night’s hockey game, Valleyview Co-op will match donations for the new playground dollar for dollar, up to $5,000. Andrea and her son Nixon will help with the puck drop, along with Virden C-Store Manager Faye Gerring.
Gray has researched what is needed to provide an accessible playground in Virden.
“Our playground will incorporate accessible ground surfacing as well as accessible pieces of playground equipment,” says Gray. “The ultimate goal is a space that our differently abled students can navigate independently and functionally as this promotes inclusion with their peers.
“Our current placeholder quote with Playquest (playground equipment company) is roughly $247,000.”
Accessible playground design includes having safe surfaces such as rubber decks, spaces between equipment and flush transitions between different play areas. Studies show that outdoor physical activity not only benefits kids’ health but improves classroom performance, increases cognitive development and hones social skills.
