Stories From a Playful Build in the Making: Trish Gustafson
 I am raising funds for a playground and baseball park for kids with special needs. I have the land donated, am just working on the funding/fundraising.
When my son, Owen (pictured at left), was born three years ago, he was a floppy baby. Within a few months we had one diagnosis, then a year and a half ago, he was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy. My husband and I both grew up in the country and played outside constantly. I believe that play, especially outside, is enormously important for children and their development. Once we purchased a scooter for Owen at the age of two, we realized how limited he is at the playgrounds in our area. The more I talked with other parents like us, the more that I realized that kids with special needs spend a lot more time inside than “typically” developing children. How unfair!
I started asking questions and got varied answers, but there was a common theme: safety, access and restrooms. This prompted me to start thinking about designing a special needs playground that would be safe and would have restrooms that go above and beyond the minimal requirements of the ADA. From there I read in the paper about a playground like this opening in our area. My husband and I were very excited to hear about this and went to see it within a few days of its opening. However, we left very disappointed. It was not really a playground for kids with special needs.
That’s when my research began. Two areas in Ohio are working on special needs playgrounds, but both are over an hour drive from where I live. There are a few parks near us that may offer one or two items for special needs children at their playground, but most won’t work for the average special needs child. So rather than complain about what wasn’t done at the parks in my area, I have decided tackle one of my own. I work for a township that has a lot of land reserved, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have the land donated. We have over seven acres to use for a playground, we’re also building a baseball park created with special needs kids in mind. This part will be easy because a city about an hour and a half away has a Miracle League baseball diamond that I can use for inspiration.
So that is my story. I have a lot of agencies and companies willing to donate already and am hoping that a local non-profit will allow the money to be funneled through their organization. Your website has been a great inspiration and I am so thankful to have found it!
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