A playground where all children can have fun, including children with disabilities: Olivet inaugurated its first playground with inclusive games – accessible to all, including wheelchairs. The area is located on the plain of swifts, on the banks of the Loiret, it has just been renovated. Take advantage of this renovation to install inclusive games: the idea was born within the framework of calls for projects for the participatory budget of the city last year.
A Mother’s Struggle
Behind this idea, there is a mother: Hayat Ezzarhouni. “I am a mother of 3 children, including Louna, who is 5 and a half years old, and who suffers from Temple-Baraitser syndrome.she says. It is a rare syndrome, very debilitating. And when we went out to the playgrounds, I noticed that in Olivet and even in the metropolis, Louna had no games suitable for her. While her big brother and little sister played and laughed, she was forced to sit still. And that, I can tell you that as a mom, it hurts, I even cried.“
© Radio France
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Francois Gueroult
For this playground, the town of Olivet has chosen to install an inclusive trampoline and carouselwhich can be used by all children, whether they have a disability or not: the games are even wheelchair accessible. Designed low to the ground, with a special coating, they cost 48,500 euros. That is an additional cost of 10 to 15% compared to classic games.
Integrating inclusion from project design
“It’s more expensiveconfirm Stephane Bourdillautthe child and family assistant, but I want to say: making sure that all children can play together, and that children with disabilities do not feel excluded, is priceless.” In the process, the city also set up 2 swings with seat includedone in the Orme-Grenier Park and the other in the Larry’s Park – the swings include both a classic seat and an adapted seat.
Hayat Ezzarhouni would like this type of initiative to become widespread. “It’s a good example of inclusion, but I find it unfortunate that we had to go through a participatory budget: this type of project should be thought out from the start, we have to be able to integrate inclusion from the design stage. projects, and not that it comes after, saying to yourself: “by the way, what if we added a little touch of inclusion?“, she concludes.