It won't be long before children of all abilities will be swinging, sliding and climbing — side by side — at Trinity Park.
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This sponsored content is brought to you by Frank Kent's Dream Park Fort Worth.
It won't be long before children of all abilities will be swinging, sliding and climbing — side by side — at Trinity Park.
Frank Kent's Dream Park Fort Worth will open on April 15. Over an acre in size, the park will be one of the largest inclusive playgrounds in North Texas, according to park president Rachael Churchill.
Churchill initially conceived the idea after visiting a similar, smaller playground in Wisconsin, called Possibility Playground. Impressed by the concept, Churchill felt prompted to fill this need within Fort Worth.
“Playgrounds are required to meet ADA standards, but the problem is that those standards are not enough," she says.
For example, ADA-approved rubber mulch limits playground access for children in wheelchairs, Churchill says. To combat this problem, Dream Park will use a rubber surface. The playground will also feature adaptive park equipment, including a wheelchair-accessible seesaw, adaptive swings with harnesses and slides with special coating to prevent static electricity from shorting out some children’s cochlear implants. Churchill and the park's board of directors worked with consultants and an inclusive design firm to ensure the playground is truly accessible.
The project is completely funded through donation, costing just over $3 million. Churchill and her team have $50,000 left to raise before the playground's opening. Upon the project's completion, the organization will gift the playground to the City of Fort Worth.
“We just wanted to make it a wonderful place for our community and its children,” says Churchill. “We really tried to think of it all.”
Photos by Olaf Growald