Accessible playground in Greater Sudbury's Valley East becomes a reality

Children with disabilities now have a new place to go out and play in Greater Sudbury's Valley East.

The new accessible Kin Park playground in Blezard Valley is outfitted with a sensory station with musical instruments as well as a specialized swing that helps to safely secure people in the seat.

"We wanted to have something was not just handicapped accessible, but accessible for the blind, the deaf, the autistic," said Cherie Anderson, a member of Kin Club Valley East.

"The grandparents could bring their grandkids and it [would] be accessible for them as well."

The service group has spent the last three years working toward making the park a reality.

The park's new adaptive equipment cost more than $115,000. Funding for the playground was made possible by donations and contributions from the city and province. 

Pushing for a park without barriers

The ward councillor for the area said if more places in the city want to have parks that are accessible to everyone, they need to take another look at their taxes.

"You've got all these other demands on your budget and yet you've got to start to prioritize," Robert Kirwan said.

"Are we a city that places pot holes over people?"

Kin Park Playground is the sixth accessible park to be built in Greater Sudbury.

The head of Kin Club Valley East said the group said the barrier-free park is about inclusion.

"Even [those with disabilities] ... still need the same needs as able-bodied children or anybody else," Gary Newton said.

The parking lot and the field house at the Kin Club Park Playground have also been retrofitted to be wheelchair accessible.