Downtown Park Celebrates New Playground

(ATLANTA – August 24, 2007) Centennial Olympic Park is constructing an All Children’s Playground. The new playground is designed for universal accessibility appealing to imaginative children of all physical capabilities.

The initial concept for the playground came from Alyssa Barnes, daughter of former Governor Roy Barnes. She had the idea in college after teaching children with special needs and seeing an all-accessible playground abroad. When pitching the project, Barnes did not just want a playground for children with disabilities, but a place that incorporated them. She believes that inclusion is not something that happens in school, but in communities as well, starting at an early age and continuing through life.

“The Park is the ideal location, particularly now with the neighboring Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Coca and Imagine It! Children’s Museum. Centennial Olympic Park is the heart of downtown Atlanta and what a special place to have the playground and show that children with disabilities are just as important as all children,” said Barnes.

The Park recognized the need for a playground of this type as well, and with the original architects of the Park, crafted the All Children’s Playground. The playground is themed after the quilt of leaves pattern, which is representative of the distinctive design created for the 1996 Olympic Games and featured throughout the Park.

The playground’s activities are accessible to users with reduced mobility through specially designed equipment such as low reach panels including chimes, match 3, periscope, Braille and clock, space travel and navigator panels. The surface of the playground is made of a soft, skid-resistant rubber. Elevated slide platforms with transfer tiers on the playground’s two slides also make the playground easier to navigate. The rollerslide provides a multi-sensory experience with room for more than one at a time, encouraging cooperative play, while the cloudburst slide helps children into a properly seated position. Talk tubes enable children to discover the magic of “long distance” communication and bongo drums with three different tones allow them to make music. The playground also features a fish net climber, a trapeze horizontal ladder and a sway fun swing, which is a wheelchair accessible glider swing. The three saddle spinners help children discover the cause and effect relationship between body position and movement. All of the playground’s unique features encourage fun, creativity and learning together with peers, regardless of ability.

“We are so excited about the completion of this vital addition to the Park. It is another wonderful example of the community’s support and investment in ensuring the Park is for everyone,” said Mark Banta, the general manager of Centennial Olympic Park. Construction of the playground kicked off with a fence art project at the site, incorporating the help of children to paint a Park-themed mural. The mural also features the quilt of leaves pattern and like the playground, encourages children to paint cooperatively. The mural and playground site are located along the north edge of the Park on Baker Street, across from the New World of Coca-Cola.

The All Children’s Playground will provide a memorable experience for all Park guests. For more information on the All Children’s Playground or Centennial Olympic Park, please call 404.223.4090 or visit www.centennialpark.com

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