Playground opens designed by, made for Colorado school for the deaf and blind
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Plans six years in the making finally came to fruition on Wednesday. The playground was originally a class project started in 2018. It was carried on by the students, faculty, and staff making their dreams become a reality.
The Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind (CSDB) now has a playground that is accessible to kids of all abilities. The park is outlined in a gridlock fashion for students to maneuver through the different features. The gridlock handrails are adorned in brail and big lettering for students to read if they're at the swings or the see-saw.
The park includes wheelchair swings, audio elements, and specific colors to help aid in depth perception. Also incorporated in the design is artwork by past CSBD students that is now used as a sensory tower in the playground.
Dozens of students enjoyed the new park in all its glory Wednesday. It all started off as a class project back in 2018. Now, some students were able to return for the big reveal.
"I’m overtaken honestly by surprise," said alumni Jack Lambert.
Lambert is part of the driving force behind the playground. He says it wasn’t always easy, but now that it's all complete it was worth it in the end.
"It was stressful for sure," recounted Lambert.
But Lambert had support by his side every step of the way, and beyond.
"I'm so grateful. So very grateful for everybody who participated," said Lambert. He has the utmost appreciation for his peers in the original classes that prompted the project, but also those who carried it on after he graduated.
He says it's what they've taught him at CSDB that influenced the design.
"It's provided me the tools and the confidence in myself to believe that people want to support me," Lambert shared.
So those tools are the thought behind the park: freedom and independence.
Students are open to their own independence with no need for canes thanks to guiding rails. The space for people in wheelchairs to enjoy, including wheelchair swings. Thought even goes down to the colors.
"Bright orange, yellow-colored fences or railings and the color scheme of green turf and the white, it's really helpful for students who have also the same difficulties of no depth perception," Lambert explained the detailing behind the bright colors and how it can aid students in their endeavors in the park.
Now that Lambert left his legacy at the CSDB, he’s going to college to get his degree in psychology. He hopes to later become a doctor and help others navigate.
