Barrier-free playground coming to Deer Park

If all goes according to plan, the ground will be broken for Deer Park Public School’s new barrier-free playground next spring.

After $540,000 had been found to cover the first phase of the playground, the parents of Deer Park are now waiting for the Toronto District School Board to begin the process of finding a contractor this fall, said Andrea Davila, co-chair of the Deer Park School Association.

“This project wouldn’t have been possible without the parents,” said Davila, whose own nine-year-old son has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. “Many parents have ideas, but not many are carried through to reality, so the TDSB had to believe in us, little by little.”

The playground is being funded by three key donations: Ward 22 Councillor Josh Matlow secured $350,000 of Section 45 development funds from the city in May; the Rotary Club of Toronto Eglinton, led by Norma Davis, donated $36,000; and an anonymous family gave $25,000 in December.

While Deer Park has a reputation as an accessible school, thanks to its Intensive Support Program (ISP) for students with physical disabilities, its playground has long been inaccessible to the many ISP students who use walkers, canes or wheelchairs to get around, Davila said.

The idea of adding an accessible playground was the brainchild of former ISP teacher Greg Karout, whose cause Davila and Deer Park School Association co-chair Christol Connolly continued to champion when he was transferred from the school.

“If you follow the TDSB guidelines, the school is accessible because it has an elevator, a special bathroom, and a couple of electric doors,” Davila said. “But there is nothing that kids with physical disabilities can do that will let them be as active as the other kids.”

Built from a mix of pavement, rubber and pads, the barrier-free playground will include a rotating climbing wall, a flying saucer swing, raised sand and water tables, picnic tables with gaps for wheelchairs, basketball hoops that children in wheelchairs can reach, and even musical instruments.

“It’s wonderful, because it will let children of all abilities play together, whether they have a physical disability or not … which is the whole idea of accessibility,” Deer Park Principal Bill Waldman said.

Davila noted the fundraising isn’t over: The second and final phase of the playground carries an additional $275,000 price tag.

“We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the community, and to looking for corporate sponsors who can help us finish completing the second phase of this dream,” she said.