PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A new app helps families with children with disabilities find a local park that meets their child’s needs as July marks a major milestone in the U.S.
This month marks 34 years since the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a law that protects people with disabilities from discrimination.
The state’s new app, Park Finder, provides detailed information about playgrounds and parks, listing everything they have to offer the community. The app is currently available online.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans with disabilities are the largest minority group in the United States. About one in six children has a developmental disability.
According to a press release from the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society’s Good for You initiative, “children with disabilities may have different needs when it comes to play, such as greater or lesser sensory input. Yet playground play is critical to the cognitive and physical development of all children because it promotes socialization, creativity, and community building.”
With this in mind, several Pennsylvania parks are tailoring their playground designs to accommodate children of all abilities, and implementing special features such as an interactive sensory green garden or an augmented and alternative communication tool that uses images and symbols to help children with their nonverbal communication.
