Child Disability Expert Praises Playground Plan

By John Voket

A local occupational therapist who runs the program for disabled students at Reed Intermediate School is praising the school’s PTA as well as local officials and volunteers working toward creating an inclusive community playground in Newtown.

Natalie Kaiser, who operates a private practice in town called Pediatric Therapy Associates and also consults with the Sherman School in Litchfield County, said the proposed playground would not only provide an incredible opportunity to handicapped children, but would go far toward alleviating the stigmas that occur too frequently between mainstream and disabled children.

Ms Kaiser was on hand December 5 to review plans for the playground along with PTA President Marina Moscovichi and Dan Holmes of Holmes Fine Gardens, a local landscaping design firm that is donating services to help see the playground through to completion.

Ms Kaiser said that she became interested in the playground project as soon as she heard about it.

“As an occupational therapist who works with children who have a variety of physical disabilities, I understand the importance of creating a play space which supports children’s sensory motor development,” Ms Kaiser told The Bee.

The children Ms Kaiser works with at Reed School’s Project Succeed have a variety of severe physical impairments. She said these children, and others who reside in Newtown, are limited in their ability to interact physically with most playground areas due to poor muscle strength and a dependence upon a wheelchair for positioning and mobility. 

“For these students having access to the play area to enjoy the social components of play is a very meaningful opportunity,” Ms Kaiser explained. “Not only does the proposed playground plan have wheelchair-accessible paved stone walkways, Phase II of  the project has a specific play component which is designed for wheelchair accessibility. It is attached to the main play structure, which creates a feeling of inclusion for those who so often have to sit on the sidelines or have a separate play space.”

Ms Moscovichi said the Reed PTA’s aim was to create a brand-new and interesting play environment that is unique to the community.

“We wanted to be sure we were looking at including pieces that you couldn’t find on any other playground in the area,” Ms Moscovichi said.

The PTA president noted that fundraising for the project will benefit significantly as several parents of children at Reed School work with businesses that can supply integral elements to the initiative, including the playground equipment as well as paving stones that will comprise the walkway leading from the traffic circle in front of the school to the new playground area.

Paving The Way

Ms Moscovichi said her group has been very successful in a relatively short time marketing engraved paving stones that will be part of the walkway. The smaller stones can be inscribed with a dedication or the names of individuals or family members supporting the project, while larger pavers can be imprinted with company names and logos to commemorate more significant commercial donations.

In addition, PTA volunteers have been soliciting individuals and businesses to sponsor everything from the playground pieces themselves, to benches, trash receptacles, and other furnishings to enhance the overall functionality and landscape design aesthetics.

According to Ms Moscovichi, Dr Della Schmidt, a local professional, has already committed to sponsoring a climbing wall component, and several other businesses are looking at underwriting other elements of the playground equipment.

Even the students at Reed School are getting involved. Besides a collection jar in the main hallway where students, parents, and staff are depositing spare change toward the project, Ms Moscovichi said specific student efforts have been well received.

“We had one student who baked two cakes and brought them in and sold them by the piece,” Ms Moscovici said. That student, fifth-grader Thomas Chin, raised $16 toward the playground project and said he is looking forward to heading back to the kitchen to do more baking and raise more money.

“My mom wanted me to get involved in something extra,” Thomas said. “I like to bake, so I made two cakes and sold them for a dollar a slice. I thought it would be good to give it to the playground fund.”

Mr Holmes said that the environmental design surrounding the playscape would also serve to enhance the rigidity of the school’s architecture, offsetting the façade with plantings and seating areas built into the landscape, giving the surrounding area an amphitheater effect.

“As a designer, aesthetics are very important to me,” Mr Holmes said. “The play area not only needs to be accessible, but inviting to the general public.”

The landscape designer said he hopes to integrate as many recycled or environmentally friendly components as possible into the project.

“I’d really like to see the teachers be able to come out and teach classes out there about the kinds of plantings we’re using and the benefits of recycling, utilizing the examples of the materials we want to use on the project,” Mr Holmes said.

Building Life Skills

In addition to providing an opportunity for educational as well as normal developmental play opportunities, Ms Kaiser said the proposed Reed play space also provides students with learning differences such as Autism, ADHD, and SI dysfunction the additional benefit of calming and organizing sensory input. 

“I think this new play space will help foster a growing spirit of inclusion among all our children, and in turn build a healthy learning environment for the whole community,” Ms Kaiser concluded. “And the school community is already well on its way to helping the special needs students feel welcome.”

Ms Kaiser said this school year at Reed is the first opportunity for her Project Succeed students to have significantly higher levels of interaction with their peers, and she is thrilled to see the reaction from among the Reed School student population.

“The student body has been so responsive to these kids, interacting on a level that is meaningful to them,” Ms Kaiser said. “And we see such a spark and an interest among the Project Succeed students when their peers come in and read to them and blow bubbles, even getting down on the floor and playing ball with them.”

The interaction between Project Succeed and mainstream students helps build a more global exposure to people’s disabilities as well as exposing the greater student population to their abilities, Ms Kaiser explained.

“The interaction gives mainstream Reed students an opportunity to build their experience with others with disabilities at a time when they are entering into a place and an age where they are becoming more egocentric,” Ms Kaiser said. “It helps them gain a greater empathy, builds nurturing skills, and exposes them to beginning role exploration in relation to volunteerism. It builds a range of skills that will last a lifetime.”

Ms Kaiser said she applauds the Reed School PTA members for recognizing and acting on the need to create a play space at Reed School that will offer so many collateral benefits to all the children of Newtown.

“Sensory motor play is an essential component of normal development that does not end when a child moves out of elementary school,” she said. “Children crave and need creative physical activity throughout their school years, and they benefit from exploring environments which challenge their strength, motor planning, balance, and coordination skills.”

Furthermore, in considering the escalating epidemic of childhood obesity across the nation, Ms Kaiser said having this type of playground configuration available will help children burn calories and develop a healthy relationship with physical activity and fun that can last a lifetime.

“Climbing and hanging on the monkey bars or space net does more for children than just create laughter and memories; it also builds hand strength to support good handwriting, builds problem-solving skills as well as provides valuable sensory input to organize, calm, and prepare all students for learning,” Ms Kaiser said.