PA Parents can use new app to find accessible playgrounds

EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — A new app from the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society can help families of children with disabilities find a local park that meets their kid’s needs.

Parents across the commonwealth can now find accessible playgrounds using the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society’s Park Finder app .

In a release sent out on Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society said the app lets members of the commonwealth find playgrounds and parks and lists all they have to offer.

As the United States celebrates the 34th year of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in July, the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society says playgrounds can go far beyond the basic needs of the ADA by using Universal Design.

According to the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society, Universal Design means building and planning playgrounds that serve every kid’s needs in one spot while making multiple options available for interaction between children with and without disabilities.

“Parks and Recreation professionals are at the forefront of bringing Universal Design to playgrounds, informed by their level of interaction with children with differing abilities through the myriad programs they run in communities,” said Pennsylvania Recreation & Park Society CPRE, CPSI, Senior Education Manager Dan Hendey.

The release goes on to say the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks Americans with disabilities as the biggest minority group in the United States and that about one in six children have one or more developmental disability.

“With the sensory garden and every new project, inclusivity is the first thing we think about when we start out. We look at the project from every angle to determine whether it’s accessible to all,” said Upper Allen Township Parks Director Chad Krebs.

When playgrounds are built with everyone in mind, Landscape Structures says it sends a message to the community that everyone is meant to be there, everyone matters, and everyone is meant to play.

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