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CARSON PLAYGROUND IS A GAME-CHANGER
CARSON (Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020) – Distinguished guests and excited children today celebrated the grand opening of a unique playground in Carson designed to entertain and challenge kids with various abilities under the same “roof.”
“I believe this playground will become a model for other communities,” said Carson Mayor Albert Robles, at an opening day ceremony which saw dozens of kids from two to twelve years old happily playing at the new facility at Dolphin Park in Carson. “It’s a game-changer.”
The playground equipment was designed to provide activities and experiences for all children. “This is not a park only for those who have special needs,” Robles said. “The equipment can entertain all kids.”
“The promise and dream of this park is that children with different abilities will be able to play together, and that will create an experience and provide an opportunity for social integration without barriers.”
As Robles spoke about kids of all abilities, the children were having fun in the playground’s slides, swings, ladders, and the multi-user rocker, all of it sitting atop a carpet of soft and forgiving rubberized surface.
Robles’ enthusiasm for the playground was shared by Areva Martin, attorney and founder of Special Needs Network, and former NFL quarterback and founder of HollyRod Foundation Rodney Peete, who were keynote speakers at the grand opening.
“I am looking forward to the day when playgrounds like this will be the norm not the exception in our neighborhoods,” said Martin, who has a child with autism. “Carson is to be congratulated for setting a new standard for playground design.”
“I have no doubt that this park – with its emphasis on inclusivity - will have a positive influence for years to come on the lives and character of the kids who play here,” said Peete, who co-founded the non-profit Hollyrod Foundation with his wife, actress Holly Robinson Peete (21 Jump Street and Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper), which provides supportive services to families of children with autism.
“As a father of a child with special needs, I fully understand the challenges a simple playground can pose,” Peete said. “Having a playground specifically for kids with all abilities is
extremely important and necessary. My wife Holly and I teach our kids to be compassionate and inclusive. That’s what this playground represents. There is something for everyone here.”
In his remarks, Robles also warmly thanked Marathon Petroleum for it $1.25 million donation that funded the special playground equipment. The company has a major refinery in Carson.
This Carson playground goes above and beyond by providing stimulating activities not only for children with impaired motor skills (e.g. ambulatory disabilities), sensory needs, diverse body size, posture, mobility, and motor control. The playground features audio stimulation, ramps, convenient hand-holds, and adaptive swings.
The Dolphin Park playground was designed with input from city officials and staff, local residents, and playground professionals utilizing state-of-the-art equipment and designed to comply with all “7 Principles of Inclusive Playground Design,” a widely-recognized guide for building playgrounds developed by the Utah State University Center for Persons with Disabilities.
It is a playground that will challenge everyone. “This is not a playground for a few kids. It’s a playground for all kids,” Robles reiterated.
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