Selma Elementary opens Delaware County’s first accessible playground

The Liberty-Perry Community Schools Corporation in Selma is now home to the first wheelchair accessible playground in Delaware County.  As IPR’s Thomas Ouellette reports, the project was supported by several local grants.  

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00;00;00;03 - 00;00;05;29 Thomas Ouellette Bryttani Mills is the mother of a preschooler with cerebral palsy that attends Selma Elementary. 00;00;06;01 - 00;00;21;12 Bryttani Mills Because of her disability. Most playgrounds have been places where she could watch other children play but not truly join in. This is a place where children of all abilities belong. This playground is a statement about who we are as a school and as a community. 00;00;21;14 - 00;00;39;11 Thomas Ouellette At a cost of just over 7,000. The playground has walkways big enough for wheelchairs and interactive features at sitting height that children of varying abilities can use. Sam Coffman with Liberty-Perry Schools, says the aim was to create an environment of seamless play. 00;00;39;14 - 00;00;50;26 Samuel Coffman It's not just only for other abled children, but it can be anybody, right? And as a kid, they can run and do whatever they want, can play with someone in a wheelchair and everyone's together, which I think is really great. 00;00;50;29 - 00;00;57;29 Thomas Ouellette Liberty-Perry officials say the playground will be open to the public on weekends. I'm Thomas, Ouellette in Selma.

Bryttani Mills is the mother of a preschooler with cerebral palsy that attends Selma Elementary.

“Most playgrounds have been places where she could watch other children play but not truly join in,” she said. “This is a place where children of all abilities belong. This playground is a statement about who we are as a school and as a community.”

At a cost of just over $187,000, the playground has walk ways big enough for wheelchairs and interactive features at sitting height that children of varying abilities can use.

According to Liberty-Perry Director of Operations Heath Dudley, the idea for the playground started off as a single wheelchair accessible swing.

“It definitely exceeded kind of our initial idea and expectations and got a little bit better each month,” Dudley said. “Once we kind of had the ball rolling, it was a full go at that point.”

The project saw local support from more than a dozen local donors, including foundations, governmental bodies, and businesses. 

Sam Coffman is an alumus of Liberty-Perry Schools and helped with the project.  He says the aim was to create an environment of seamless play.

“It’s not just only for you know other-abled children, but it can be anybody, right? A kid that can run and do whatever they want, can play with someone in a wheelchair, and everyone’s together.”

Coffman says while there will be adult supervision at all times, the accessibility ramps are only slightly inclined and children in wheelchairs can navigate them independently.

Liberty-Perry officials say the playground will be open to the public on weekends.  The district also sees potential for other local schools to share in use of the space.

Thomas Ouellette is our reporter and producer.  Contact him at thomas.ouellette@bsu.edu