Town of Chapel Hill to redesign local playgrounds, prioritize inclusivity

Last month, Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation will begin installing new inclusive features in nine town parks — Hargraves Community Park, Southern Community Park, Umstead Park, Homestead Park, Oakwood Park, Cedar Falls Park, Westwood Park, North Forest Hills Park and Burlington Park. 

According to a press release by the Town, the new accessible features will include BCI Burke playground equipment which is designed to improve motor and cognitive skills. The parks will remain open during the installation process. 

Alex Carrasquillo, the Town's media relations manager, said in an email that features that will be installed at Community Center Park include ADA accessible ramps with sensory rails, an inclusive orbit spinner and serenity spots. These inclusive playground features provide children of all abilities with opportunities for independent play, sensory engagement, social interaction and relaxation, he said.

The new design allows all children to have control over their play experience and move independently in new ways, Kevin Robinson, senior manager of planning and park operations, said.

He also said the Town assessed all parks, identified necessary improvements and is now focused on securing funding to address these issues over time.

Earlier this year, Robinson said the Town hosted two public input sessions to gather feedback from community members about the new designs. He said community members expressed that playgrounds should eliminate limitations for children and allow them to play with their peers, so children of different abilities can play together. 

The project is funded through the American Rescue Plan Act — an allocation of funding Chapel Hill received in March 2021 to help the Town recover from the pandemic. Robinson said the Town discussed implementing improvements to the playgrounds nine years ago, and to actually see it come to fruition is exciting.  

“The end result is going to be to [be able to] see the kids again, look [at] their faces as they get to enjoy it and play for years to come — it's really going to be something I think the Town of Chapel Hill can be proud of,” he said. 

Marcella Twamley, chair of the Town’s Parks, Greenways and Recreation Commission said she joined the commission in 2022 after noticing inaccessible areas at parks. 

If playgrounds are not accessible, she said, children with mobility devices are often excluded from play. She said she wants her daughters, one of whom is disabled, to have spaces where they can play together. 

“It's really fun to be at places where you can have disabled children playing with their neurotypical peers, and I think that's really important, not just disabled joy but also for our typical peers as well to be able to interact with disabled peers their age,” Twamley said. 

Twamley said the commission carefully considered the placement of sensory panels — play features in parks designed to engage a child’s senses — and ensured that the park is accessible by including ramps for people using mobility devices so they can navigate the structure.

Marian Kaslovsky, coordinator of adapted recreation and inclusion support at Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation, said the Americans with Disabilities Act requires 10 percent of playgrounds to be inclusive, but the Town did not think that was enough.

“Our long term goal is inclusion of everyone,” she said. 

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