A playground that engages visually impaired students and is accessible to children in wheelchairs is being planned for Red Deer’s largest elementary school.
After two years of fundraising, the $250,000 barrier-free play structure is expected to be installed next spring at Barrie Wilson Elementary School. The project received significant boost this week when Red Deer North MLA Kim Schreiner presented a $150,000 cheque from the province’s Community Facility Enhancement Program.
Schreiner said the playground project “resonated” with her because it’s inclusive and accessible to all children.
Everyone at the 480-student school for English and French Immersion students is very excited about the grant, said principal Chris Good.
“We are the biggest elementary school in Red Deer, so I think it’s important to have a playground that all students can access,” he added.
Jaelene Tweedle, chair of the playground committee at Barrie Wilson, said her group is very grateful for the support.
About 80 per cent of the project will be paid for when the provincial money is added to funds already raised through silent auctions at the school and partnership fundraisers with Red Deer College, Scotia Bank and McDonald’s, said Tweedle.
Her son, who’s in Grade 3, can use the existing Barrie Wilson school playground, which was installed when the school opened in 2014.
But parents and teachers noticed that some other students with physical challenges had a hard time crossing sand to get to the play equipment. A student with visual impairment also had difficulty with the uneven surfaces, Tweedle noted.
The new barrier-free playground, which is approved by the American Disabilities Association, will be built upon a smooth rubber outdoor surface that will be easier for all students to traverse.
And it will contain some music-making sound features, similar to the Kerry Wood Nature Centre playground, said Good. “Students who can’t use some of the other equipment can still be creative through the use of sound.”
The new play equipment will be installed next spring as an expansion to the existing playground in the school yard, he added.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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