S'pore's first 'inclusive' playground for all

By Janice Tai, The Straits Times, 7 Oct 2013

THE sight of children with disabilities looking on while others enjoyed themselves on a playground prompted Nee Soon GRC MP Lim Wee Kiak into action.

Yesterday, he broke the ground for an upgraded Canberra Park, which will feature Singapore's first "inclusive" playground open to all, from wheelchair users to people who are visually handicapped and the elderly, when it is ready next year.

"I have seen children with disabilities being excluded from playgrounds and I lobbied for it as no one should be left out of play, interaction or community bonding," said the MP.

A swing system - the largest here - will give the disabled extra room and security. See-saws have been designed to fit wheelchairs. And play structures, which children can climb and slide down, will include transfer platforms so those with disabilities can lift themselves on.

Those who are visually handicapped will get play panels with raised textures, while children with autism are also not left out. The new playground, part of the 1.5ha park, will have swaying and spinning plastic cocoons specially designed to provide them with an enclosed space to escape to when the stimulation gets too much.

Ramps will also help the elderly get onto the playground, and play alongside their grandchildren.

"This is a positive step because it encourages the disabled to get 'out there' with their peers rather than just watch from outside," said Society for the Physically Disabled executive director Abhimanyau Pal, applauding the initiative.

"This creates opportunities for interaction between able-bodied children and those with disabilities, which will result in greater understanding and acceptance among the next generation of Singaporeans."

Such "all-inclusive" play areas are "relatively common in the United States and Europe to get people of different generations and abilities to have fun, exercise and bond together", said Mr Patrick Lee, director of CT-Art Creation which supplies and designs playgrounds.

When asked if more of such playgrounds will be rolled out, coordinating chairman for People's Action Party town councils Teo Ho Pin said he would leave it to individual town councils. "It sounds like a good idea but we must balance the need for integration with safety," he said. "The disabled and the able-bodied can have a different manner of playing."

Canberra Park will cater to that too. Its new playground will have QR codes for smartphone users to scan and get safety tips.

Madam Madiah Apan, 59, whose son, 15, is in a wheelchair due to a spinal cord injury, hopes such playgrounds will be built in other housing estates: "When my son was growing up, I felt so sad whenever I saw him sitting at the side of the playground because he can't play along with friends."

The playground is part of a $2 million upgrade of Canberra Park, which will include facilities such as an amphitheatre and plaza, bicycle stations and a taiji corner.

The park is part of plans to enhance sports facilities in the north. Also on the cards are an integrated sports complex featuring a stadium, swimming pool, hawker centre and library, likely to be next to Sembawang MRT station.

* A very special playground
Located in Sembawang, it has wheelchair-friendly features and swing seats that allow kids to be secured
By Benson Ang, The Sunday Times, 12 Apr 2015

Singapore's first "inclusive" playground - catering to children with special needs - is now ready.

At the 600 sq m playground in Canberra Park in Sembawang, there are wheelchair-friendly features such as a ramp and handrails, panels with bells and drums to cater to the visually handicapped and swing seats that can secure children with physical disabilities.

Among the regular slides, swings and an overhead ladder, there is also a sensory motion feature which allows wheelchair users to sit inside and experience a swaying sensation without having to transfer out of their seats.

The next step? Getting the children to go.

Disability experts welcome the new facility, but some feel greater awareness and outreach is needed to get children with disabilities to join in the fun.

Indeed, during two visits to the playground in the last two weeks, SundayLife! did not see any special-needs children playing there.

Mr Raja Singh, 53, director of DNR Wheels, which provides disability and rehabilitative equipment, says children with disabilities tend to be shy, have low self-esteem and do not participate readily in play activities.

Adds Mr Singh, who is a wheelchair user: "Parents may also be afraid their children will get injured. It'll take a lot of effort and encouragement for them to participate in activities."

Mr Abhimanyau Pal, 49, executive director of SPD, an organisation representing people with disabilities, says building the playground is "a positive step", but hopes that there will be greater publicity of the amenities.

Dr Marissa Lee Medjeral-Mills, 34, executive director of the Disabled People's Association, suggests that schools close to the playground and organisations which help people with disabilities might consider organising an outing to the playground.

She says: "Publicising the accessible transport routes to this playground through maps or guides will also encourage people to go and use the playground."

The playground's location, in the far north of Singapore, is also an issue.

Take, for instance, the case of beautician Xin Xiu Lian, 33, whose 10-year-old son Jia Wei has a genetic disease which limits muscle control and uses a wheelchair. They live in Yishun.

She says: "The playground is good news, for sure, since Jia Wei can now play there with his seven-year-old brother. Usually, Jia Wei just sits by the side and watches. But the playground is still 30 minutes away from our flat by public transport and I'll need to find the time to take him there."

Responding to suggestions, the area's Member of Parliament Dr Lim Wee Kiak acknowledged that there is insufficient public awareness of the new playground as the park opened only a month ago.

He says: "There will be articles on the new playground in the newsletters of our town council and our constituency and communication with our residents."

The playground is part of a $2.2-million upgrade of Canberra Park. Dr Lim had lobbied for an inclusive playground to cater to a wide variety of children, including those with special needs.

Construction took over a year, with equipment supplied by local company CT-Art Creation and made mostly by Playworld Systems, a manufacturer of fitness and playground equipment in the United States, which has built inclusive playgrounds in Alabama, Idaho and Virginia.

For those who find the Canberra Park playground out of the way, there is good news: A second inclusive playground at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park is in the works.

This will be modified from an existing playground by the National Parks Board and the National Council of Social Service this month and is expected to open by August this year.

According to a joint statement from the two organisations, the playground will have a wheelchair-friendly merry- go-round, a wheelchair swing as well as a slide that provides additional tactile stimulations using rollers.

The council will reach out to the community, special-education schools and volunteers to promote the use of the playground and work with community partners to create programmes centred on the playground for children with special needs.

* 2nd playground for kids with disabilities
Facility will have added features like wheelchair stations, audio play panels
By Janice Tai, The Straits Times, 6 Dec 2014

BREEZING through the air on a swing or spinning round and round on a roundabout - children with disabilities have long been left out of such experiences, but that will soon change.

Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park will have the second of the country's "inclusive playgrounds" by the middle of next year, adding to the first in Canberra Park slated to be completed by this year.

The newer playground will have the usual fixtures, such as a roundabout, but with added features. The roundabout, for example, comes with secure wheelchair stations; the swings will be huge and strong enough to support wheelchairs and the slide will be elevated and have rollers to enable those with disabilities to get on easily, according to the National Parks Board (NParks).

For the visually- or hearing- impaired, there will be sensory, audio and visual play panels.

The new playground is part of a broader push by the authorities to get children with disabilities to integrate better with other children, instead of segregating them.

The first such playground will be ready in Canberra Park by the end of this month, said Nee Soon GRC MP Lim Wee Kiak.

For the playground in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, NParks and the National Council of Social Service are working together to modify an existing one.

The equipment will not come cheap. The provisional sum set aside for a wheelchair swing, for example, is $20,000. A conventional swing costs about $6,000, said Mr Patrick Lee, director of CT-Art Creation, which is supplying the equipment for the playground in Canberra.

He said the wheelchair swing costs more as it has locking devices to ensure the safety of the user when it is in motion.

Some are looking forward to these playgrounds.

"Those with disabilities have long been left out in the planning of recreational facilities," said Mr Edmund Wan, president of the Handicaps Welfare Association.

But he said that many wheelchairs are now motorised and can be heavy, so there must be safety features and people around to help them get on the equipment.

Mohamed Syukar, 15, who uses a wheelchair due to a spinal cord injury, used to sit at the side of the playground as he could not use the slides or swings. He hopes these playgrounds will be set up in more estates.

"We already have trouble moving around so we can't go far just to play in a playground," he said.