HAPPY World Autism Awareness Day!!!
Last week I have discovered a wonderful new playground that both of my children love … It is called Livvi’s Place at Five Dock. Livvi’s Place is a world’s first all abilities playground. It was created to make a ‘level playing field’ for children with special needs. The park is unique in the fact that children, regardles of their ability, can play side by side. The Livvi’s Place playground aims to dramatically reduce the barriers experienced by children with special needs, thereby giving them a level playing field for life.
Livvi’s Place at Timbrell Park is the initiative of the Touched by Olivia Foundation and the result of a unique partnership of three founding partners, Touched by Olivia Foundation, City of Canada Bay and Leighton Contractors.
Following extensive research and consultation with authorities (in their field) including leading academics, play, disability and landscape experts, the partners have taken a holistic approach to address the needs of children with multiple forms of disability including: mobility, vision and hearing impairment as well as spectrum disorders such as autism to ensure a safe, secure environment where all children can play.
Features include:
* Livvi’s Place is inter-generational – Play equipment has been uniquely designed to enable a parent, grandparent, carer or sibling to play side-by-side on the same equipment as the child with the disability regardless of age or ability
* The whole area including the BBQ area is fenced in.
* There is no smoking both witin and around the playground
* Pathways with colour strips and no visible breaks in path ways
* All play items can be viewed from the path enabling children with spectrum disorders to first assess the area to ensure they feel secure enough to play
* Newly designed and largest carousel of its type, with dual speed controller
* Newly designed tandem bull rider, allowing parent or sibling to swing with a child
* Newly designed birds nest swing, allowing parents or sibling to swing with a child
* Newly designed special slide, allowing parents or sibling to sit behind and support a child
If you are in the area I would recommend checking out Livvi’s Place.
http://www.touchedbyolivia.com.au/html/Livvis_place_timbrell_park.htm