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Orientation and Mobility and the New ADA Playground

August 2024

by Robin Tueting, M.A. COMS, PLY (she/her) & Lisa Oliphant, M.A. COMS

Ariel View of CSDB ADA Playground

When we began our work on the design committee for the development of an ADA accessible playground on our campus, we quickly realized that ADA accessibility is not enough. Of course we wanted all our students, including those in wheelchairs and walkers, to be able to access and enjoy the playground and equipment, but as Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists, we also wanted to create a playground that our students who are blind or have low vision could independently navigate. 

The original layout design for this large, expansive playground that was proposed to the design committee included curvy sidewalks that meandered through various areas of the playground. Curving sidewalks do not allow for students without functional vision, to know where they are in space and provide no points of orientation. If a turn is gradual instead of a clear 90-degree turn, students without functional vision often don’t know they have turned. Instead, we advocated for a playground with straight sidewalks running north/south and east/west arranged on a grid so that it could be more easily navigated just as our students learn to navigate residential neighborhoods. In the places where sidewalks intersect and students can make choices about which way to go, the sidewalk has a bumpy texture. We also wanted our students to be able to leave their white canes in a designated storage place at each entrance so they could play on the playground without laying it on the ground near the various pieces of playground equipment which could create a tripping hazard and cause difficulty finding their cane again. In order for our students to safely navigate the playground without their canes, we created a system of handrails that line all the sidewalks for our students to trail with openings at each piece of playground equipment. We also wanted a way for our students to locate the playground equipment they want to play on with as little assistance as possible, so we created signage in high-contrast large print as well as braille at the entrances arranged like a list map. The signage on the post to the right lists every piece of equipment they would encounter if they followed the handrail on the right in the order they would find it. The signage on the left post lists all equipment they would find if they followed the railing on the left. Each opening also has high-contrast large print and braille signage for the equipment they would find at that opening. We also have directional signage at intersecting sidewalks. We hope to include buttons that provide auditory access to signage for students who cannot or cannot yet access the large-print or braille signage in the future. Like any other kid, our students who are blind or visually impaired love to ride bikes and scooters. To provide a safe and defined space for them to do this, we helped to design an oval track with gently sloped edges that they can feel if they get too close to the edge. The sloped edges are painted in a bright contrasting yellow for our students with low vision. Additionally, we also chose high-contrast colors for all the railings and playground equipment so it would be as accessible to our low vision students as possible. Shade structures will be installed in the near future in various areas of the playground which will provide reduction of glare for our low-vision students. We now have a one-of-a-kind playground that can also facilitate play-based Orientation and Mobility instruction to work on skills such as hand trailing, and concepts such as compass directions, residential neighborhood travel, and list maps.