By Alicia Brooks-Waltman
With support of the Hopewell Valley Regional School District Administration, Hopewell Valley’s Special Education PTO is raising funds to make at least two playgrounds in the district universally accessible to all children by installing smooth, flexible rubberized surfaces under and around play equipment.
The Special Ed PTO has launched a drive to raise $135,000 to install the surfaces at two of the district’s playgrounds, locations to be determined by the district. While all of the playgrounds in the school district meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, installing rubberized surfaces would give physically disabled children full access to the playgrounds.
The rubberized surface will make a huge difference in the life of second grader John Ferguson. John enjoys racing around the blacktop in his motorized wheelchair with his classmates at Hopewell Elementary School. However, when it comes to approaching the playground equipment where many of his friends play, his motorized wheelchair cannot navigate the uneven and shifting wood-chip surface now in place.
“We would just like children like John to have free access to the playground and their friends, just like any other 8-year-old,” said Caroline Ferguson, John’s mother and vice-president of fundraising for the Special Ed PTO. “He has a restricted lifestyle, being in his chair, and it is more restricted when he can’t access the playground,” she noted. “Kids want to play and be with their friends if they are in a wheelchair or not.”
The district has budgeted $20,000 for the new playground surfaces. The Special Ed PTO aims to raise the rest of the funds from individual donations, corporate grants and other sources.
“Giving children with physical disabilities full access to the playground at recess enriches their lives and the lives of the children who play with them,” said Special Ed PTO president Alicia Nayfield.
The Special Ed PTO hopes to reach the fundraising goal and install the surfaces by the start of the 2015 school year. More information, including how to or to donate, is online at hvrsdspecialedpto.com. The PTO can be reached via email at hvrsdspecialedpto@gmail.com.
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