Exploring Wat Tyler Playground: An Accessible Playground Experience
Come with me to an accessible playground!
As we are coming to the end of the summer holidays, we were in search of fun and adventure, so my support worker (and best mate) Poppy decided to take her girls, aged 8 and almost 2, to a local park that we had heard was accessible. I’d been to the country park previously to take my dog Coco for a walk, and although it was muddy at the time, it was pretty accessible with my electric wheelchair, and we had a good walk, so I was really excited to try the playground. I’d like to be a parent one day, and even just as ‘Auntie Jelly,’ I love taking the kids in my life out for the day. But I do often wonder how accessible kids’ spaces are, not just for disabled kids, but for disabled parents and carers too. Sometimes when we take the girls out, they often ask me to play with them, but being a wheelchair user often means I can’t. So I had the best time being able to play with them rather than just watching from a distance because, for most places we go, I can get on the roundabout and that’s about it.
Accessibility at Wat Tyler Playground
There were lots of wheelchair-accessible paths around the playground & the wider park. There were picnic tables with wheelchair spaces too. There was also a communication board in the centre of the park for non-verbal or autistic children to use, with general signs as well as ones related to the park.
Favourite Features at Wat Tyler Playground
Our favourite parts were definitely that I could get up to the top of the slide. I even went across a wobbly bridge to get back down, which was fun, even if I scared Poppy and probably wouldn’t recommend it in a powerchair. But even if other disabled adults may not be able to navigate it, disabled children probably could. We also absolutely loved the adapted swing. You have to use a radar key to access it, and you really need a non-disabled adult to help operate it as the ramp was quite heavy. But it was easy to get onto, and the platform was big enough for most mobility devices. I ended up with both the kids on my lap, and they loved that we could all fit on the swing together. It was also light enough for the eldest to push me on the swing without any issue.
Challenges with Access at Wat Tyler Playground
Sadly, it wasn’t all good news because there were quite a lot of sections of the playground I couldn’t access even in my powerchair, which is pretty good on most surfaces or inclines. I was able to cross some of the bark but struggled to turn, I fell down a slope and got stuck in the entrance of a sand play area. There were also some rope climbing equipment that blocked the route to other areas of the playground, which meant I had to go the long way around, meaning I couldn’t follow quickly as the little one tried to follow the big kid to the big slide. All of these things meant I wouldn’t feel confident enough to take the girls to the playground independently, as there were too many areas I couldn’t access.
Overall Thoughts on Wat Tyler Playground
Overall, the access here is so much better than many places, and I think most disabled children would enjoy it. But as a disabled adult, I wish access had been fully thought through so disabled parents & carers could have more access, and disabled children could enjoy more areas too.
