Platteville Inclusive Playground Update – February 2022

Who Is The Platteville Inclusive Playground For?  YOU!
Platteville is more than a town, and more than a place that we all reside.  It is a community that provides many of us belonging, safety, fulfillment, and much more. How can we give back to a community that gives us all of these things and more? By building an inclusive space that is intentionally designed for all, and together our community can achieve this goal. We wish to provide a safe location that we can say to each and every person who visits, “This playground is built for YOU.” Many of us know that a traditional playground was not built with the intention to exclude anyone, however, our goal is to build a playground that is intentionally designed to include EVERYONE. Disability is the number one minority community in the United States. With this playground, we can ensure a space that takes the worry and fear of judgement, safety concerns and lack of accessibility away. It can instead foster an environment of inclusiveness and socialization for everyone, allowing for more innocent play and laughter in our culture today. Imagine all children being able to play with all of their friends, regardless of their mobility or sensory need. The Platteville Inclusive Playground is a space where we can all meet together. 

Inclusion looks different for each person and family in our community. For some, it may be a smooth flat surface for a grandparent to accompany their grandchildren while enjoying a day making memories. A pregnant mother with her young children may need an off-street parking spot to safely load and unload for a fun-filled day at the playground. This playground will provide a new exciting space in town where fun can be had by all, as this playground will have play features for children from toddler to teenager. We never know when we, or someone we know, may have an accessibility or intellectual need that current playgrounds do not meet.We hope to create a place that includes everything a traditional playground has to offer, but also gives our community so much more by removing barriers to access and providing everyone the opportunity to be active and social. 

A key objective of the Platteville Inclusive Playground Steering Committee is to present ideas to the community that can help us all to be more inclusive. An inclusive playground gives children the opportunity to encounter others of all ages and abilities allowing them to develop essential social skills needed to interact with anyone they may meet with confidence and compassion, helping them know how to make a friend regardless of their differences. Every human life has dignity, beauty, and value and it is our duty to share in each other's differences and allow them to make us stronger.

Jessica Puls, an Occupational Therapist with the Platteville School District simply stated that, “A child’s occupation is to play.” The location of the playground is key to the schools, so that its students can
utilize the project for key learning through play. It also benefits our residents who live at Park Place
Senior Living, who can use this as a tool to promote wellness and a healthy lifestyle. Dr. Jeff White, a supporter of the Platteville Inclusive Playground, explained some added benefits to the playground. He said that not only does the inclusive playground provide a safe play environment for all children, but also a useful exercise opportunity for adults. The surface of the playground offers good grip and less likelihood of significant injury if a fall occurs. The close proximity to Park Place Senior Living will offer those residents an inviting place to spend time outdoors. The accessibility and structure for bathrooms and parking makes a statement to the community that we care about everyone. We want to break down any barrier that maybe preventing freedom and independence for all members of our
community.

As Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers) once said, “We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say, “It’s not my child, not my community, not my problem.” Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.” The Platteville Inclusive Playground Project is an opportunity for every citizen in the 53818 community to become a hero. The PIP Committee is excited to share that the City of Platteville has recently been awarded a CDBG-CV grant, with $1.9M of the monies awarded specifically for the Platteville Inclusive Playground Project build. While this is fantastic news for Southwest Wisconsin and for all of the PIP volunteers and donors, it is important to understand that the awarded monies will not cover the entire cost of the playground project. The PIP Committee and volunteers are asking the 53818 community to invest in this project with us, by helping us reach our final goal of our fully funded ideal design by April 30, 2022, with a goal of installation for Fall of 2022 barring any supply delays. We have been extremely encouraged by the tremendous show of support that the Platteville community has already shown. If you would like to make a donation, please make checks payable to Inspiring Community Inc. noting Inclusive Playground in the memo. All donations are tax deductible, to the extent allowed by law. Inspiring Community Inc., a non-profit headquartered in Platteville, is working with the Inclusive Playground Committee and the City in support of this project and is serving as the fiscal agent for donations made in support of the project as well as providing grant writing and administrative support.