Leave it to NPR and Internet technology to create something as simple and wonderful as Playgrounds for Everyone, a community edited guide helping kids who require handicapped-accessible facilities find them easily. Turns out there actually is no official database like this anywhere to be found, which really surprised me. And, well, we live in an age where if you can’t find the kind of website you need, you go and build it yourself.
To find a playground, it’s as easy as typing in a city, address or zip code. The site then specifies whether the playground has a smooth surface, ramps within the playground and for exit and entry, transfer stations for getting on and off equipment; and even features like accessible swings (so cool!), visually-impaired play components, and sound-play components that may hold special appeal for differently-abled kids. There’s also a section for comments about each playground, though it’s obviously not complete just yet.
Because this is essentially crowdsourced info, the success of the site relies on you to help add to it. So if you can, do it! That small act of kindness could end up being a really big deal for a whole lot of people.
[h/t catherine holeko of about.familyfitness]
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