CHENNAI: Just behind the Amma Anuvagam on Santhome High Road, an inclusive park stands just beside the State Resource Centre for Inclusive Education. Now under construction, the park is a joint initiative by the Greater Chennai Corporation, the Bengaluru-based trust Kilikili, the Disability Rights Organisation, the Smart Cities Mission and architect Kavitha Selvaraj, to create an inclusive space for children with and without disability.
The park boasts a multitude of inclusive equipment, such as a swing for wheelchair users and slides with curved edges for children with gravitational insecurity, or the fear of falling down. As soon as you enter the park, a herb garden welcomes you, which helps visually impaired children to activate their sense of smell and learn about plants while adding a touch of greenery to the park. The park is divided into three areas — the first, closest to the gate, is for children below eight years old, the second, in the middle, is for children under 12 years, and the third, furthest away from the gate, is for older children.
In the first area, stepping stones of varied heights placed at different distances teach children the concepts of distance through play, with some having rocks of different textures on the top. “Playing is natural for children. Through this, some children who have Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) can feel the rocks and the sense is normalised. Some children need this stimulation in excess, and some cannot handle the over-stimulation, so playing offers a way for them to gradually get accustomed to this,” said Kavitha Krishnamoorthy, founder of Kilikili, which has set up three inclusive parks in Bengaluru, successfully. An infinity pathway with different textures like rocks, coconut husks, sand, grass and brick also assists children with SID, who have trouble receiving and interpreting stimuli.
All the equipment in the park, such as the merry-go-round in the second area and the sandpit, are accessible, such that children with disability can play with children without disability. “When we held a session in Bengaluru, we noticed that over a period of time, we didn’t need as many volunteers as before, because the children understood each other’s requirements. They would help them push the wheelchairs and what not, and that was because they were exposed to that behaviour over a long period of time,” said Krishnamoorthy, adding that they speak to children with disability and receive their input on what to add to the park to make it as inclusive as possible.
A decorated wall, made by cartoonist Biswajit Balasubramanian, also features tyres and protruding shapes for visually impaired children to interact with. The last area, for older children, has an empty space and some exercising equipment, as Krishnamoorthy feels that older children don’t require an equipment-heavy space to play. This area has two basketball hoops, with one placed at a lower position for children in wheelchairs.
For children with autism, for whom the noise from the park can cause distress, three quiet areas with tables are located in secluded parts of the park. These areas can be used to play traditional games and board games as well. The entire park is wheelchair-accessible, as are the bathrooms, and has a rubber flooring to reduce the impact from falls.
Although children from the Resource Centre for Inclusive Education will be visiting the park, Krishnamoorthy hopes that the park grows into an inclusive space for all. “This will be a place for children with disabilities’ developmental needs, aid their socialisation, and help them improve their language. But, I also hope that this can be a place for the parent community to meet with each other,” said Krishnamoorthy.