Play for Every Child
A truly inclusive playground goes beyond accessibility. It creates opportunities for children of different ages, abilities and developmental needs to play, explore and connect together.
M.E. O’Brien & Sons works with Landscape Structures, a leader in inclusive play, to create welcoming playground environments for schools, parks and communities throughout all six New England states -Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine.
What Makes a Playground Inclusive?
Landscape Structures’ approach to A Higher Level of Inclusive Play focuses on three important elements:
- Physical Accessibility – Creating routes and play opportunities that allow children with mobility needs to move throughout the playground and participate in play.
- Age & Developmental Appropriateness – Offering a variety of play experiences and challenges that support children at different ages, abilities and stages of development.
- Sensory-Rich Play – Incorporating opportunities for movement, touch, sound, visual engagement and quiet retreat to support different sensory needs and ways of experiencing play.
Together, these elements create a more thoughtful play environment where children can participate in ways that are comfortable, challenging and meaningful to them.
Designed for More Ways to Play
Inclusive playground design isn’t about creating separate areas or equipment for children with disabilities. It’s about thoughtfully designing one play environment where everyone can participate together.
Inclusive play spaces may incorporate accessible surfacing and routes, ramps and transfer points, sensory activities, musical play, ground-level activities, swinging, spinning, rocking, climbing, quiet spaces and wheelchair-accessible play components.
The result is a playground that encourages physical, cognitive, social and sensory development while giving children more ways to choose how they play.
Inclusive Play Throughout New England
M.E. O’Brien & Sons has helped create inclusive playgrounds for schools, municipalities, parks and community organizations throughout New England—from smaller neighborhood play spaces to large destination playgrounds.
Explore some of our inclusive playground projects below and see how thoughtful design can create more opportunities for everyone to play.
Ready to create a playground where everyone belongs? Contact our team to start planning your inclusive play space.
