At NSP3 one of our goals is to help communities build playgrounds that are accessible to parents and children of any ability. We understand that one of the key factors of a successful playground is the ease with which parents, children, and friends can access the various playground components and interact with each other.

However, many playgrounds offer surfacing that is inappropriate for wheel chair access [pdf], and play components that are inaccessible or require an exorbitant amount of work to reach. This can prove a challenge for parents that want to push their children in swings, or children that want to reach a slide that their peers are able to reach.

Palo Alto Online News has an excellent story about the proposed Magical Bridge Playground at Mitchell Park in Palo Alto, Ca. This “universal” playground is the brainchild of the Friends of Palo Alto organization, and will be the first of it’s kind in Palo Alto. They have currently raised $150,000 of the $1.3 million needed to complete the project, and are working toward completion by the end of 2012.

We applaud this grass-roots movement to build a place for families of all abilities. If you would like to contribute to the Magical Bridge Playground project or learn more visit their website: www.magicalbridge.org