The View from the Playground: UNICEF endorses inclusive education

Interesting piece highlighting a growing trend towards inclusive education in Europe:

Inclusive education for children with disabilities can transform lives, says UNICEF

NEW YORK, 6 February 2013 – Progressive policies in inclusive education have made positive changes in the lives of children with disabilities in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, according to UNICEF today.

More schools are welcoming first grade children with disabilities in Serbia as a result of years of policy advocacy. Huge nationwide awareness raising campaigns in Montenegro and strong engagement of civil society in promoting inclusion in Armenia have led to increased public demands for inclusive schools, UNICEF said.

At a briefing focusing on the issue of children with disabilities this week during a meeting of UNICEF’s Executive Board in New York, other governments and donor communities were urged to support policies that realized all children`s right to quality education as one way to reduce inequities created by social exclusion.

Click on the link above to read more!

The View from the Playground: Why the City of Los Angeles Makes Inclusive Play a Priority

Cole Massie, inclusive play advocate, interviews Jon Kirk Mukri, General Manager of Recreation and Parks for the City of Los Angeles, who shares what inspired him to make inclusive play a priority.

The View from the Playground: Design begins with commuinity

Inclusive playgrounds begin with the community. From the first request of a parent seeking the simple yet profound joy of play for their child to the inspiration and drive of a city seeking to create inclusion…

 

Shane’s Inspiration was recently in Bemidji, Minnesota helping one community bring their playground vision to life:

Published October 28, 2011, 12:00 AM http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/event/article/id/100032579/

North Country Park: New playground may offer variety of new amenities for children

 

By: Bethany Wesley, Bemidji Pioneer

 

A playground with a rubber surface instead of sand or woodchips. Textured faces on which children could run their fingers. A “king of the hill” type of structure with ramps leading up to the very top.

 

These amenities could be included in North Country Park as the community has begun planning for a playground that could be enjoyed by both able-bodied children and those with disabilities. Stakeholders in the project include the city, Bemidji Lions Club, Bemidji Rotary Club, Arc United and the Parks and Trails Commission.

About 40 people took part in a community planning meeting Thursday evening at the Sanford Center. Led by consultants with Shane’s Inspiration, a California-based organization dedicated to the creation of such playgrounds, the group made suggestions for what should be included in Bemidji’s accessible playground.

“I want you to let your imaginations run,” said Virginia Hatley, director of design with Shane’s Inspiration.

Suggestions numbered more than 30 as adults and children alike tossed out ideas such as a hidden treasure sandbox, accessible swings and sand-diggers, punching bags, gliders and more.

“We do all sorts of different types of things,” Hatley said. “Not just swings and slides, although swings and slides certainly have their place in the playground.”

Shane’s Inspiration has done more than 40 playgrounds around the world. They go beyond ADA compliance to ensure that children with disabilities can traverse and enjoy the equipment and features (ADA allows for wood chips, which are difficult to navigate in a wheelchair).

“We’ve never done one in Minnesota,” Hatley said. “So this will be the first.”

Marcia Larson, Bemidji’s parks and recreation director, said she heard about universally accessible playgrounds and called Shane’s Inspiration for guidance.

“I just said, ‘We really want to do this. But we don’t know how to do it, how we go about doing this,’” she said.

Brad Thornton, the director of project development, told her Shane’s Inspiration would lead the process. Shane’s Inspiration also will not charge Bemidji a fee. The city has entered into a grant agreement with the organization through which its consultants will provide the planning, design and, once built, programming as well. Programming is designed to get able-bodied children and children with disabilities interacting and playing happily with one another.

“When we’re involved in a project, we’re in it from the beginning to the end,” Thornton said at a Thursday afternoon meeting, “and even when it ends, we stay involved.”

 

Kaeo Moen, 6, of Bemidji describes his version of a universally accessible playground during a design meeting Thursday evening at the Sanford Center. In back is Brad Thornton, the director of project development with Shane’s Inspiration, an organization working with Bemidji as it plans such a playground for North Country Park. Pioneer Photo/Bethany Wesley