NORTHAMPTON — With the current playscape at RK Finn Ryan Road Elementary School deteriorating, advocates and staff in the Northampton school district are currently working on the creation of a new inclusive “Playground For All” at the school.
According to Sarah Hougen, a district physical therapist for Northampton Public Schools and leader of this project, the new playground will be accessible and inclusive to all members of the public, including children and caregivers with varying physical, cognitive, sensory and social-emotional capabilities.
“We want to make sure this playground is inclusive for all types of students and kids,” Hougen said in an interview with Reminder Publishing at Ryan Road Elementary School.
Hougen said it is currently a challenge for students with different types of disabilities to enjoy recess because there are not enough equitable opportunities for them with the current playground structure.
Oftentimes, Hougen said she and other one-on-one paraprofessionals will create different games outside to accommodate students with all types of capabilities.
With the current playground deteriorating and in need of demolition because of age-related corrosion and surface failure, staff and advocates across the district have found a perfect opportunity to take things a step further and create a centralized playground that is equitable for everyone.
“Our thought was let’s replace [the current playground] with something completely accessible,” Hougen said. “And not only accessible, but inclusive.”
Hougen told Reminder Publishing that paraprofessionals, physical therapists, occupational therapists, teachers and other staff members have been advocating for a new inclusive playground for the past five years. Together, the advocates have worked with Landscape Structures, which is known for its inclusive playground equipment, to design a playscape that features all the amenities they want.
According to Hougen, ground surfacing is the first thing they have looked at in designing the playground.
“We’re looking at having a poured rubber surface, which means that the entire playground is flat,” Hougen said. “We really wanted to have a ground surface that allowed for independent entry and exit and travel throughout all parts of our playground.”
Hougen said that the advocates have also looked at including ramp pathways across the entire structure so anyone with some type of mobility device can utilize every part of the playground.
The playground they have designed also includes other ground-level play amenities, like a merry-go-round for example, where people with a mobility device like a wheelchair can access it.
“There’s no lip, there’s no ramp, there’s no access point needed,” Hougen said. “You can just get right in.”
Aside from physical aspects, the playground will also include “rich” sensory opportunities that incorporate visual auditory and tactile stimuli, including things like chimes, xylophones and drums and little dome spaces where children can go into if they need a quiet moment.
The playground design also includes a communication board for students who are nonverbal or need alternative modes of communication.
According to Hougen, the board would be a way for those children to point to the activity they want to participate in during recess.
Additionally, the playground will also have resting places and areas to eat like picnic tables.
“We’re just trying to make sure our playground is accessible for all types of kids,” said Hougen.
The design of the playground was inspired by other inclusive playgrounds in the region, including Jessica’s Boundless Playground in Belchertown, which is a multi-generational play structure for people with all abilities.
Hougen said she connected with occupational therapists and people who planned and implemented that project to see what they did.
“That was definitely a moment of inspiration to be in other areas where this exists, thinking, we need this in Northampton, and our families and our kids deserve to have this right here,” Hougen said.
As of press time, Ryan Road is on the verge of receiving Community Preservation Act money for the project. The City Council’s Finance Committee sent a positive recommendation to the full council for $720,000 in CPA funding to go toward the project. The council is voting on the appropriation during its June 20 regular meeting.
The city’s Community Preservation Committee also gave a positive recommendation for the project.
During the Finance Committee meeting on June 11, Ward 6 City Councilor and Finance Committee member Marianne LaBarge read a letter she sent to the CPC that expressed unwavering support for the project.
“I agree that the old and damaged playground at Ryan Road Elementary School should be replaced with an all-inclusive playground for all,” LaBarge said. “By fostering a playground for all at Ryan Road Elementary School where every voice is heard, every perspective is valued and every opportunity is accessible, important, accessible. I feel it strives to create a future that shines bright for all, inspiring generations to come.”
At-Large City Councilor and finance committee member Marissa Elkins agreed with LaBarge’s sentiments in her comments to the rest of the Finance Committee.
“It’s a great project,” Elkins said. “I think it’s a very appropriate use of CPA funds.”
Other advocates have spoken in support of the project during many public comment periods in City Council, CPC and Fiance Committee meetings. Ryan Road Principal Rebecca LeBeau expressed her support for the project.
“By approving these funds for the inclusive playscape, you are equipping children of all abilities with inclusive environments and the skills to play together more independently,” LeBeau told the council during its June 6 meeting. “This will also allow students to feel nurtured, encouraged, respected and active during play, both physically and socially, thereby creating a sense of community among all children.”
Hougen said once the CPA money is approved, the city will most likely put out a public bid for demolition, ground preparation, installation and equipment. If all goes well, Hougen said the hope is for the playground to be installed during summer 2025 and be ready for the fall school year in 2025.
She said the one piece they have to figure out is the cost of engineering.
“We pretty much designed what we wanted to design but staying within the footprint that already exists out there,” Hougen said. “There’s lots of trees around the playground that we didn’t want to disrupt. So, we made what we wanted in the space that we could make.”
Beyond the physical aspects of the playground, Hougen emphasized the social-emotional benefits something like this would bring. She mentioned how many parents that spoke in support of this project were coming from a place where they feel like their children are often on the outskirts of social opportunities in the community, so having a Playground For All will be powerful.
As someone who also has a child with a disability, Hougen said she feels where parents are coming from.
“I think that that was really one of the most persuasive pieces of pushing this through was realizing that this is benefiting the social-emotional development of so many of our families,” Hougen said. “The opportunity for learning for other families and children who don’t have disabilities to be learning that we can all be together, and we all have something to share; It’s a really important part of the message.”
