After three years of planning and more than $1.5 million raised, Kingston’s inclusive play project is now open, creating a space where children of all abilities can play side by side.
For Krystal Good and her family, the moment had been a long time coming.
“It’s a pretty amazing thing … We’ve waited a really long time for this park to open,” said Good, whose five-year-old daughter is non-verbal and has level three autism.
The new playground at Shannon Park was made possible through donations from private individuals and foundations, support from Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities and land and funding from the City of Kingston.
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“It was something that everybody got on board with and it was great to see just how this project built slowly over time and just became a movement,” said Kingston city Coun. Brandon Tozzo.
The goal was simple — to create a space where every child can feel included.
For Good, that means being able to watch her daughter play without the same barriers they’ve faced at other parks. She says features like the fenced-in play area make a big difference for their family.
“I think this is the first time I’ve been able to go to a park and just enjoy watching her play,” Good said, as her daughter has a tendency to run off during play time
“She is an eloper, so it’s been really hard for us to find a park that has fencing, so it was important for us that there’s actually a fence here that’s safe from the road.”
The park also includes a communication board to help non-verbal children express what they need.
“She wanted to go home because it was very busy,” said Good, “so she was able to go over to that board and say go and we knew that she wanted to leave.”
The park features rubber safety surfacing, designed to help cushion falls and keep children safe while they play. The official grand opening is set for the middle of September, but for families like the Good’s, the space is already making a difference.
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