Rhodes Park

Many children with disabilities are often unintentionally excluded form one of the most important aspects of play...socialization.

It is a refreshing site to see children of all ages and in different developmental stages playing together on an ADA accessible playground that allows children with disabilities to play independently from adults. Many children with disabilities are often unintentionally excluded form one of the most important aspects of play, socialization. Dependence on adults for mobility and assistance sometimes prevents them from immersing themselves in uninterrupted play with their peers. All playgrounds are required to meet ADA accessibility standards, but many are cannot be used by children at lower stages of development without assistance form adults. If well planned, the design of a play structure can give children the freedom to challenge themselves, take risks, have fun and participate in imaginative play with their peers. This feeling of independence is hard to achieve in the classroom or the home, which is why accessibility and usability are such important parts of playground design.

Creating a Place for Play

Rhodes Park is one of the busiest parks in the city of Columbus, Ohio. In 2000, an ADA accessible sports pad was installed to support the Therapeutic Recreation programs and leagues for the city of Columbus. The park facilities include: eight softball diamonds, an oval jogging track, football fields, a multi-purpose trail, cricket field, picnic shelter and parking. There are also several courts for wheelchair leagues in basketball, baseball, and football. The addition of the DeLong Playground comprised of GameTime equipment enhances the activity offering at Rhodes Park to include play for children in all stages of development. The park provides the largest and most comprehensive facility for community members with disabilities in the Midwest.

With the creation of the park, the city of Columbus made a commitment to celebrate diversity. The Recreation & Parks Department recognized the need for a play area to complete the Rhodes Park patrons’ needs. Most city playgrounds separate toddlers, children 5-12 years of age and children with disabilities on separate equipment and at separate play areas. The intent of the DeLong Playground is to provide one environment that challenges balance, agility, and strength skills while encouraging social interaction among children. On this playground, children of all ages and levels of development can interact in order to fully enjoy the developmental benefits of play.

The addition of the DeLong Playground comprised of GameTime equipment enhances the activity offering at Rhodes Park to include play for children in all stages of development.

Through the design phase, the Landscape Architect, Kathy Spatz, teamed with Dr. Judith Olsen, Interim Department Head for Associated Health Professions and Associate Professor in the Occupational Therapy Program in the College of Health and Human Services of Eastern Michigan University, and Susan Reider of Eastern Michigan University to research child development and play environments. They reviewed the effects of social, cognitive, motor and language development and their relationship with play environments. They considered the overlapping motor and sensory-perceptual skill needs of each user group: toddlers ages 2-5, elementary ages 5-12, and children with disabilities in their design. The playground designers chose to use innovative GameTime play equipment and determined which components would be most beneficial in making the playground truly usable for children with disabilities. The equipment was a good fit for the project because the manufacturers regularly commission research studies on the benefits of play by major universities and child development experts and apply that information to new product development.

Pioneering a New System

DeLong Playground is the first Recreation & Parks playground in the Columbus area to use a ramping system that allow universal access to higher decks. The large play structure was designed to allow a person to travel in a wheelchair from the entry ramp to a 2’ high deck and exit through climbers, slides, overhead ladders or continue to a 3’ high deck to exit by the slide or experience the sensation of being above ground level. There is a 5’ upper deck on the play system, which can be reached from a ramp and a series of 6" tall steps. The MegaRock™ climber, challenging metal climbers and exciting slides are attached to this deck and require a higher level of strength and balance to master. Children feel a sense of accomplishment and sharpen specific physical and mental skills as they master each level of the play system.

In addition to the elevated decks there are a number of ground-level play opportunities. The entire perimeter of the system is accessible by all children. The free standing parallel bars, installed 18" apart, encourage users to walk between or rest on the bars because a wheelchair does not fit between the pair of bars. The freestanding swings include both belt seat swings and a Handi-Swing with metal handgrips allowing all children to sit upright and use their upper body for balance while swinging. The Buck-A-Bout spring rider is a stimulating ground level activity that fulfills the need balance and strength events. Freestanding thespian, puppet, storefront, bus and seating panels encourage inclusive group and imaginative play.

With the assistance of partners and concerned citizens, $120,000 of the system’s value was financially granted through matched funds or donated materials and services.

Partnering Makes a Difference

Rhodes Park is one of the busiest parks in the city of Columbus, Ohio. The park facilities include: eight softball diamonds, an oval jogging track, football fields, a multi-purpose trail, cricket field, picnic shelter and parking. There are also several courts for wheelchair leagues in basketball, baseball, and football. In 2000, an ADA accessible sports pad was installed to support the Therapeutic Recreation programs and leagues for the city of Columbus.

The Columbus Recreation & Parks Department has partnered with Dr. Gary Smith, M.D., Director for Injury Research & Policy at Columbus Children’s Hospital, and the Community Action for Playground Safety (CAPS) program since 1999. The goal of the program is the improvement of 25 playgrounds, including Rhodes Park, by the end of July 2004. The emphasis of the program is placed upon reducing number and severity of play-related injuries through the use of safe equipment and surfacing material. CAPS funding was granted from the Columbus Foundation and originated from the Central Benefits Health Care Foundation, American Academy of Pediatrics, Maternal & Child Health Bureau. In addition, the Ohio Department of Development’s Recycle Ohio grant gave specified funds for unitary safety surfacing through Jon P. Reigle and the DeLong Family trust donated funds for installation and bequeathed funds for continued maintenance of the playground.

Without the tremendous support of contractors, the playground would not have been built. Twenty companies were approached and all immediately accepted the challenge of making the play area a reality. They were eager to assist in the staging and construction in order to expedite the completion of the project. Suppliers were also extremely generous in their support. GameTime, the manufacturer of the play equipment, and David Williams & Associates, the sales representative firm, donated a portion of the play equipment. Bob Greiwe, the project sales representative, even assisted in the installation of the play equipment. No-Fault surfacing company was awarded the contract for the supply and installation of SAF DEK poured rubber safety surface.

The equipment at the site was meant to help children feel a sense of accomplishment and sharpen specific physical and mental skills as they master each level of the play system.

City officials and children enjoyed the bright colors and new experiences of the Delong Playground at a dedication ceremony on June 22, 2001. Among the attendees was a young lady who had never experienced sliding until that day. There was a young man who had a difficult time balancing on the belt swing, but was ecstatic when he tried the larger Handi-Swing bucket seat. For another young lady, walking between the parallel bars was the first time she was able to walk independently outdoors. One young man simply enjoyed climbing up to an elevated platform and watching the events happening below.

The playground has become a popular community destination for the city of Columbus. In addition to the Recreation & Parks programs, many Ohio State University classes regularly visit the playground for observation. In 2001, Special Olympics events were held at Rhodes Park and generated widespread interest in the facility. At any time of day you can see children enjoying the play area as you travel past the park on Broad Street or busy Interstate-70 in Columbus. The park is easily accessible from all parts of the city and only 2.5 miles west of the center of downtown.

The large play structure was designed to allow a person to travel in a wheelchair from the entry ramp to a 2’ high deck and exit through climbers, slides, overhead ladders or continue to a 3’ high deck to exit by the slide or experience the sensation of being above ground level.

Rhodes Park is an excellent example of how a well-designed facility can offer immeasurable physical, mental and social benefits to its thousands of patrons. Therapeutic recreation programs are evolving to more advanced levels each year, and with the help of design innovation and human research advancements, they will enhance the lives of millions more.

About the Authors: Katherine Spatz, ASLA is a registered Landscape Architect for the Columbus Recreation & Parks Department in Columbus, Ohio. As a Parks Development Planner her focus in on planning & design of parks and playgrounds that encourage imagination, inclusion and interaction within the community. Lindsay Richardson is an Assistant Product Manager for PlayCore consumer products marketing department in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Richardson also contributes to marketing communication for GameTime, the commercial division of PlayCore.