Karnataka’s first differently-abled children’s play park gets ready at Jawahar Bal Bhavan

Designed in the shape of a turtle, the park on Cubbon Park premises consists of different zones for a wide range of physical, mental, therapeutic, leisure, and touch-and-feel activities.

In what could bring smiles on the faces of 2.4 lakh children with cerebral palsy, autism, and other disabilities, Karnataka has got its exclusive play park for differently-abled children inside Jawahar Bal Bhavan on Cubbon Park premises. The park will be open to the public in July-end

Designed in the shape of a turtle, the park consists of different zones for a wide range of physical, mental, therapeutic, leisure, and touch-and-feel activities. To mitigate injuries from falls, the playing surfaces are made of a synthetic, non-toxic, and skid-proof rubber called EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer).

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot inaugurated the park that aims to provide a safe, inclusive, and physiotherapeutic place where children with multiple forms of disabilities can play unhindered by their mobility aids or the risk of accidents, thus improving their agility, wellness, and social skills through community and multisensory experiences.

Spread over one acre of land provided by the Karnataka government, the park is an initiative by technology consulting and services company Mindtree, in collaboration with Jawahar Bal Bhavan and Smart City. The park is built at a cost of around Rs 3 crore.

The design of the park also ensures seamless movement across various play zones.

Chikkamma Basavaraj, chairperson, Bal Bhavan Society, said, “The project has been in the works for more than a year now and it has now become a reality. Parks are successful only when they can be used by people of all abilities. This park will enable children with special needs to not only experience the simple joys of playing, exploring, and building friendships, but also learn new skills, develop a sense of identity. It is designed in such a way that the play area activities add therapeutic value to their senses and enhance their overall development while they are at play. However, the park will be open to the public in July-end, once the preliminary works related to reviving the amusement park and lake are completed.”

However, Leo Saldanha, coordinator of Environment Support Group Trust, believes that not just parks, but all public spaces should be made accessible to people who are differently-abled. “It is not an exclusive aspect to make a park disabled friendly to children. However, it is a norm. The struggle to make all public spaces disabled-friendly has been going on for over two decades now. Moreover, it is not right to make children conscious of their disability by designing a special space for them and separating them with the “able persons”. It should be inclusive and accessible in all public spaces like bus stands, government offices, commercial buildings, public toilets among others.”

Article Credits: The Indian Express