| It is the surfacing the makes or breaks an accessible | | | | in their mouths. |
| playground. When designing a playground, you are | | | | The loose-fill surfacing that meets ADA are Shredded |
| faced with many options for surfacing, each has their | | | | Rubber and Engineered Wood Fiber. You do not need |
| own benefits. However, you only have a few choices | | | | to use other surfacing to create paths. However, there |
| if you want a truly usable playground for children of all | | | | is a difference between ADA regulations and a child |
| abilities. | | | | using a wheelchair being able to play on the |
| Here are the questions your playground committee | | | | playground. It is extremely difficult if not impossible to |
| needs to ask: | | | | push or wheel a wheelchair through either of these |
| What can we afford? Do we have the staff to | | | | surfaces. |
| conduct daily maintenance so we are ensured the | | | | The benefits to these two surfaces are in the cost. |
| surfacing is safe? How are we going to meet ADA? | | | | They meet ADA and are cost efficient. That is why |
| Do we want children of all abilities to be able to interact | | | | these are the surfaces you see the most often. |
| and play on the playground with their peers? | | | | The surfaces that are universally accessible and go |
| Below is information to help you answer these | | | | beyond ADA to be actually usable for children with |
| questions. | | | | disabilities include Pour-in-Place, Rubber mats/tiles, and |
| First asphalt, grass, concrete or soil do not meet | | | | artificial grass with rubber underneath. The benefits to |
| safety regulations and you may NOT use them. | | | | these surfaces besides the accessibility are the |
| There are two other general categories of surfacing: | | | | maintenance. You do not need to do daily |
| loose fill or synthetic material. All loose fill surfacing | | | | maintenance to ensure that safety is maintained. There |
| requires daily raking to maintain the required depth of | | | | may be times you need to patch areas or sweep it |
| the material that ensure the safety of children. They | | | | off, but overall there is very little work to do be done. |
| also require yearly replenishment. Often this type of | | | | The problem with these surfaces is the cost. They |
| maintenance does not occur creating unsafe | | | | cost significantly more than loose filled surfacing; |
| playgrounds. In addition, loose fill is often tracked into | | | | however they are your only true choice if you want all |
| buildings requiring additional maintenance indoors. | | | | children to be able to play on your playground. |
| Pea gravel, sand and wood chips are loose-fill but do | | | | Personally, I like the artificial turf. It looks like real grass |
| not meet ADA. However, you can use other surfacing | | | | and therefore, fits seamlessly into your park. Because |
| to create paths to the entry point of the play | | | | it acts like grass, you will often see parents sitting on it |
| equipment and it will enable your playground to meet | | | | while a young child crawls around. I have not seen this |
| the requirements. | | | | with any other type of surfacing. For children who |
| The disadvantage of pea gravel is that you cannot | | | | have difficulty making transitions, I have seen them sit |
| use this material if your playground is higher than 6'. | | | | in the grass for awhile and then slowly move to a |
| Also daycare providers have reported that peas | | | | ground level piece of equipment. |
| gravel fits well in a nostril or an ear, which can result in | | | | Because it is a little bouncy thanks to the loose rubber |
| a visit to the doctor or emergency room to remove. | | | | underneath, children feel safer and are willing to try |
| Sand is one of the easiest products to maintain. You | | | | something slightly outside of their comfort zone. If there |
| just need to level out the sand if it gets windswept. | | | | is a lot of play traffic, the surface can become slightly |
| Children love to play in sand which is both a pro and a | | | | unlevel with dips in the grass. If the dips are not too |
| con. Cats can use the sand as a liter box. If a bottle | | | | extreme, it can actually add to the benefits of the |
| get broken in the sand, it will be difficult to remove. | | | | playground for a child with a disability. The adulations |
| Wood Chips are different from Engineered Wood | | | | allow children to practice walking or wheeling in a |
| Fiber, which do meet ADA. Parents have reported | | | | natural setting enabling them to practice balancing. If |
| they won't go to playgrounds with wood chips or | | | | the dips become extreme they must be fixed which |
| wood fiber because their children are too likely to put it | | | | can be time consuming and costly. |