Are inclusive options in play?

Inclusion. The word has taken on a life of its own in the last decade or so. Most often it is associated with making certain that learners of different abilities are afforded equal access to a free and appropriate education. However, the spirit of inclusion actually goes way beyond the classroom. It should extend to our churches, our community events, our recreation activities and yes even our playgrounds.

Ever since Noah was little, getting on a swing was his nirvana. He loved the vestibular stimulation that the rocking motion provided. As he’s grown, his love for swinging hasn’t waned. However, our ability to provide access to a swing to meet that need has.

Our earliest efforts to meet his sensory needs with a swing was to purchase him a net swing. He loved it. In fact, he loved it so much (and perhaps dad loved pushing him too high in the sky) that we overused it and it broke. We got access to a sensory pod swing but didn’t have the right door frame equipment to fit any of the doorways in our house. Regardless our big boy has rapidly approached the weight limit. I could see another broken swing in our future..

Around the same time, my wife’s family purchased the kids a nice wooden play-set that came with space for an adaptive bucket seat. We installed it and he did enjoy it for a time. However, a little over a year ago we had a major ice storm that precipitated a tree coming down across the slide attached to our play-set. It destroyed the slide and warped & splintered much of the play-set. While the swing itself was thankfully unharmed, it was unusable without a workable frame.

Thankfully we had a backup plan. There is a church nearby that has a playground with an adaptive swing seat. That playground has been a saving grace for us over the last year or two. It is mostly secluded, reducing the crowds that often trigger his anxiety. Then this week, Noah gets a new reason to be anxious..

Noah is very associative, much like many with ASD. Based on past history, I would be surprised if his sensory input needs can override his paralyzing anxiety to allow him to meet his needs at that park anytime soon. The only other known adaptive swing in the county is at our local elementary school. However, the harness straps on that swing have been broken for years. Noah has a knack for being done with things suddenly and without warning. That’s a dangerous combination and a primary reason why he can’t use a typical swing. He’ll purposely get off mid-swing with no regard for danger.

So here we are.. a broken swing option, a swing option with a weight limit reached, a swing option destroyed by a rogue tree, a swing option tainted by the fear of a loud dog and a swing option with broken belts. Seems as though we’re out of options – as is the case for many special needs families seeking appropriate sensory play options.

But wait, there are amazing sensory playground options around the country that meet the needs and wants of kids of all abilities. Why can’t there be one in our county? Turns out that ball is already rolling. A group in our community has enthusiastically started the very expensive process of researching and building one there. We are cautiously optimistic that grant money & private donations can get us from seeing a need to meeting a need. A special family and a YMCA an hour or so drive away are very close to making this dream a reality. Check out the video below for their story. Every community needs to include kids of all abilities through something like this. These kids are already facing a life with fewer options in many cases. Let’s give them another option instead.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/642715_a694c262c4a345368e1a3e0c06099c01/720p/mp4/file.mp4

“My dream is to see my two kids playing, side by side for the first time.”