IRVINE : Wheelchair-Friendly Play Area Planned

Construction is under way at Heritage Park for a playground designed to allow children in wheelchairs to play alongside non-handicapped children on teeter-totters and other equipment.

It will be Irvine’s first playground designed specifically to remove most of the barriers that ordinarily prevent handicapped children from using play equipment, said John McAllister, a community services superintendent. The play area will include a basketball court with adjustable-height hoops and other play equipment surrounded by mushy rubber mats, rather than sand, allowing wheelchairs to roll while still absorbing the inevitable falls of children at play.

The $360,000 playground, being built near basketball courts at the 42-acre city park, is expected to open in the spring. About 70% of the funds will come from a state park bond approved by voters in 1988, McAllister said.

The Irvine Residents With Disabilities Task Force reviewed the design for the playground and offered advice on typical barriers present at ordinary play areas, he said.

Not only will most play equipment be accessible to all children, but there will also be special features for children in wheelchairs, McAllister said. These include a low wall near a small hilly area that children can use to climb from their wheelchairs onto the grass to roll around the hills.

The playground is being built with features for children with other handicaps as well. The park will include a “sound tube” that children can shout into and hear an echo that even children with minimal hearing should be able to use.