ELBERTA, Ala. — Thanks to the town of Elberta, handicapped children no longer have to sit and watch as their friends play on playgrounds not built to accommodate them. In conjunction with The Optimist Club, Elberta Middle School opened a handicapped accessible playground last Wednesday.
“(The handicapped children’s) friends can come and play with us now,” Elberta Middle School Multi-Needs teacher Sonya Price said. “Before, on a regular play ground we just had to watch and now we can all play together. It’s just wonderful.”
Everything on the playground meets accessibility requirements. There are adaptive swings, a wheel chair swing, a play surface that wheelchairs can be pushed through, and a slide and climbing area.
In 2007, Elberta citizen Deanna Kurtts suggested there be a play area accessible for handicapped children. From there a committee at the school was created and the Optimist Club became involved and named the park after one of their own: Jimmy Suarez, who passed away before construction began.
Suarez was known for his work with and for handicapped children, a cause Price believes was dear to his heart.
“Anytime that you get to come into a community and get to see the various members and organizations within that community working together on a worthwhile project, its very rewarding,” Superintendent of Baldwin County Schools Dr. Faron Hollinger said. “Especially when you have an opportunity to honor a wonderful contributor to this community through a facility or a project. We believe in Baldwin County that good things happen when people work together and this is just a prime example of that truth. As superintendent of this school system I appreciate every single individual who has contributed or had anything to do with the culmination of this great project.”
Members of the Optimist Club shared stories of Suarez and his commitment to the community through his projects. Suarez’s wife Joy was even brought to tears when remembering her husband.
“Jimmy meant so much to me,” Joy Suarez said. “He did not have the word ‘no’ in his vocabulary. He would have loved this.”
Price has already seen the effect the playground has had on some of her students.
“We have students with autism and communication disorders and just playing is a way to get them to talk more,” she said. “We use the playground for tools to increase communication. The gazebo is going to be outdoor education. The more (the students) interact with nature the more they have to talk about. “
Thanks to the work of the Optimist Club and school members the playground is open to the public, not just handicapped students. However, the facility will only be open during school hours, due to vandalism that has occurred.
Members found so much damage to the facility that a fence had to be constructed around the playground. If anyone wishes to utilize the playground when school is not open, simply call the school and it will be opened.
There is still some money left over from the project which Price hopes to put toward some interactive panels, as well as wheelchair ramps.
For more information contact Elberta Middle School at 986-8127.
