Accessible playground planned for P.E.I. school will give students of all abilities ' the freedom to play'

Charlottetown's West Kent Home and School Association is hoping to create a more inclusive environment with an accessible playground, to make it easier for students of all abilities to play together.

The project is centred around six-year-old West Kent Elementary School student Roark Loughlin. He has an autism diagnosis, developmental delays and is non-verbal.

Staff say existing equipment doesn't allow him many opportunities to play, or join his friends during recess.

Hard to join friends at recess

"It's a little tough because he's not as fast as the other kids," said Meagan Collins, one of Roark's teachers.

"We get a little nervous for him sometimes when the whole school is outside for recess and everybody's running and playing."

After seeing how the children at the school sought to care for and include Roark during class, Collins said she wanted to make it possible for them to do so on the playground as well. 

That would require play structures that are on one level, and surfacing that is wheelchair-friendly.

"I know that there's going to be many more students to come after him, [who] will benefit from this and I want to keep encouraging and fostering those relationships that he has," said Collins.

"He's as important to our classroom as every other child, so I definitely wanted to get involved and make this happen for him."

Group hopes to raise $120,000

She said the total estimated cost for new play equipment and surfacing is $120,000  — right now, the group has raised approximately 10 per cent of that.

Much of what's planned is for structures that multiple students can enjoy at the same time, so the focus shifts from what Roark can't use to what everyone can use.  

"I think it's very important because Roark is just like every other child and needs the freedom to play with his peers during recess time," said Brittany Livingston, one of Roark's educational assistants.

"We have a few children that love to play with him but with our playground currently we don't have the mobility for him to walk around. This will get him to be able to play with everyone, not just a select few kids."

I just feel really grateful and included and part of the community.— Genevieve Loughlin, Roark's mom

Roark's mom, Genevieve Loughlin, said it's been touching to see how students and staff have embraced accessibility for all students.

"They're working towards this because they want the improvements because they love Roark, and they want to make this happen for everyone," said Loughlin.

"I just feel really grateful and included and part of the community."

The school is hosting a pancake breakfast this weekend, and additional fundraising events are planned for the next year.

They hope to have the new equipment in place and ready for use by the start of the 2020 school year.

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