HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A playground for everyone is officially open. It’s the first all-inclusive playground funded through the city of Tampa.
The 10,000 sq. ft. park serves kids and families with a wide range of physical, cognitive, sensory and neuro-diverse abilities.
"My six year older is on the autism spectrum, so I'm sorry, I'm crying. Being able to have a place for him to come and play and feel accepted by everyone is super important to our family," Lisa Wellman said.
From a sensory area to a communication board for those who don’t verbally communicate as well. The all-abilities playground in New Tampa is bringing new hope for people of all ages.
"It was hard growing up without parks like this … I would be made fun of a lot whenever I would play with the able-bodied people and now that we have stuff like this. It kind of allows people to be more included and they won’t have to worry about being made fun of," Joshua Morales said.
It’s six years in the making and a passion project for Councilman Luis Viera.
"For me, it's something that's very personally important because my oldest brother Juan is intellectually disabled. So, I literally grew up all my life with people with varying exceptionalities. And, so, when I take a look at a park like this, I know what this means to a family. It's about accessibility. It's about respect. It's about dignity. And that's why I'm so proud of this park," Viera explained.
Down to the details, like a rubber play surface to wheel-chair accessible activities, this all-inclusive park is more than just something to do; it’s a place where everyone can feel at home.
"I went through a long span of depression because of not being able to fit in with other kids and not being able to do ordinary stuff like an able-bodied person would be able to do… Being here is just amazing, so ill probably be coming here a lot to hang out with friends and all of that!" Morales added.
