www.PlayatWoodEnd.org
With the help of 140 volunteers, the Reading Community came together to build Reading's first universally accessible playground. It is an amazing play space with approximately $100,000 in equipment alone. We have ramping to 6 feet with a transfer station to the 8 foot slide. In addition, we have activity boards and large decks with huge roofs to provide shade (thanks to a grant from the American Academy of Dermatologists). We have two handicapped swings and a "walk the plank" that the disabled children (& their parents) love. Our next step is to install rubberized surfacing around the entire play ground (like a track) to maximize the parallel play opportunities for the physically challenged children with the able-bodied children.
We raised $150,000 in 1 year and also received approx. $25,000 in in-kind donations. The playspace was built in two phases with two community builds.
One of the unique things about our playground is that we will be the first playground in Massachusetts (if not the country) to have signage for non-verbal Children (thanks to a grant from The Reading Cooperative Bank). This signage has been designed by a speech pathologist (who happens to be on our committee). We were fortunate to have a wonderful committee that included three parents if physically challenged children that took the time to educate us and work with us to make this playground a truly wonderful place for ALL children.
