Paterson unveils newest adaptive playground

PATERSON, N.J. (PIX11) – In the heart of Paterson’s Pennington Park, a playground with plenty of heart of its own.

“A playground that will accommodate children with special needs,” said Mayor Andre Sayegh.

“We need the entire village to make a difference,” said Guerlina De La Hoz, Founder and President of Yo Soy Asi Foundation, which advocates for special needs families. “We need to teach and encourage our kids to appreciate differences.”

She is the mother of an adult son with autism.

“In the past, I remember my son when he was 10 years old. We used to come to this park,” said De La Hoz. “But I’d have to be running around because it wasn’t something specially adapted for his condition, his abilities. Usually you have to go to different towns and Counties to find those kind of parks.”

The playground has adaptations for kids with all kinds of special needs, including a wheelchair-accessible swing, a soft-to-the-touch playing surface, and percussion instruments for stimulation.

“Coming to the park, playgrounds like this can offer so many opportunities, not only for kids under the spectrum but for the entire community,” said De La Hoz.

Ottis Anderson, a former New York Giants running back and Super Bowl XXV Most Valuable Player, helped cut the ribbon. Anderson is an advocate for adaptive playgrounds in the city.

This marks the city’s fifth adaptive playground, and Sayegh announced that one more will be coming to Eastside Park next month.

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