Park Pride engages youth in accessibility efforts at Thomasville Heights Park

How can we make the playground at Thomasville Heights Park more accessible and welcoming for everyone? 

That’s the question that the Park Pride team brought to campers who have spent the summer at the park and its recreation center through Camp Best Friends, a program held by the City of Atlanta Department of Parks & Recreation. 

Earlier this year, the Friends of Thomasville Park received a $100,000 grant from Park Pride to upgrade the playground with accessible play equipment. The Friends group is considering five conceptual plans to revamp the playground, and our team presented the designs to the teen campers and asked them to vote on their favorite plan and piece of play equipment. Since they have played on playgrounds more recently than the adults, they were a great resource to learn more about the amenities that kids and families would like to have at the park. 

Overall, the students shared that they liked the plans that include a wide range of activities, equipment where multiple people can play together, artificial grass rather than loose woodchips and shaded areas to help beat the heat. They also suggested adding an ADA-accessible ramp, a paved pathway, benches and a drinking fountain. Their feedback was shared with the Friends group, who are encouraged to take this into consideration when selecting their design plan. 

Before showcasing the design options, we led the campers through an exercise to help put themselves in someone else’s shoes. For this activity, each student was paired with a buddy and one wore a blindfold. Together, they had to safely walk from the recreation center to the playground, avoiding obstacles like uneven pavement and curbs. Not only did they have fun, but they also gained insight into accessibility barriers and the needs of visitors with different abilities. 

Our team is glad to have had the opportunity to engage local youth, encourage them to think about park accessibility and receive feedback on what they’d like to see at the playground. We hope this will inspire them to think about playgrounds and accessibility in new ways!