COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF LUCAN / PALMERSTOWN / NORTH CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

MOTION NO. 14

MOTION: Councillor V. Casserly

To call on the manager to ensure Accessible Picnic Benches, boardwalks, Communication Boards (Finding Charlies Voice), Sensory Play areas and accessible equipment is installed in Airlie Park before taken in charge

REPORT:

South Dublin County Council is committed to access and equality, SDCC adopted the Barcelona Declaration in June 2002. This EU wide Declaration advocates the right of disabled people to equal opportunities, inclusiveness and integration. SDCC has been actively implementing the Declaration ever since through various actions and access initiatives. The extensive access works and initiatives which SDCC have undertaken over the past 15 years in particular have been focused on removing barriers that create disability and exclusion in order to create and Accessible South Dublin County.

As part of the delivery of the Playspace Programme SDCC consulted with the Centre of Excellance in Universal Design and a Universal Design approach has been taken which recognises the diversity of the population and ensures that our playgrounds can be used by everyone.

Universal Design places human diversity at the heart of the design processs to ensure that environments can be designed to meet the needs of all users. It therefore covers all persons regardless of their age or size or those who have any particular physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual ability or disability. It is about achieving good design so that people can access, use and understand the environment to the greatest extent and in the most independent and natural manner possible without the need for adaptations or special solutions.

In this regard, the park has been designed to be accessible as possible and all of the main facilities (sports, pavilion, pathways, bridges, entrances) are accessible. Accessible picnic benches are located beside pathways. There are no boardwalks proposed within the Park. In terms of communication boards, the Council has installed a communication board on a pilot basis in Corkagh Park. We can examine feedback from parents/children before considering their further roll out in Parks across the County.

In terms of playgrounds and play equipment, much of the Universal Designs invisible to users concern issues such as locating playgrounds in easy to reach places, having level entry points, having clear well placed signage and having easy use equipment. Considerations such as distance from car parking, access to the playground from surrounding areas and an awareness that it may be the carer and not just the child who have reduced mobility or any other disability.

Part of the brief for the playspaces within Airlie Park included the 7 principles of Universal Design, which include: equitable use, flexibility in use, simple and intuitive use, perceptible information, tolerance for error, low physical error, and size and space for approach and use.

Airlie Park and the associated play spaces have therefore, been designed to meet disabled access and wheelchair access requirements, including wheelchair accessible picnic tables and benches. The play areas are accessible to children of all ages and accessible to children with severe movement constraining disabilities including potential users who may be confined to wheelchairs. The play areas are designed to increase play value through varied design for children of all ages and abilites. The designs include a diverse range of equipment that can be used in different ways depending on the user. Play equipment includes Dutch Disc (climbing, sitting, spinning), Fitness Zone (chin up, monkey bars, ladder wall), Multi Play Units (climbing, sliding, imaginative and group play), Talking Tubes (communication, imaginative and group play). All play areas will be ROSPA certified.