PLAYGROUND SURFACES: AN EVALUATION OF SURFACES FOLLOWING INSTALLATION TO DETERMINE ACCESSIBILITY FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

Abstract

The playground is a place for play and learning for all children and especially for children with disabilities. When the playground presents physical barriers such as inaccessible surfaces and routes, play, learning, development and the self-actualized benefits of the leisure experience can be stunted or even eliminated for a child with a disability. There are more than 100 different commercial varieties of playground surfaces on the market in 2010. Lack of reliable product performance data on the effectiveness of safe, accessible playground surfaces relative to costs for installation and ongoing maintenance prohibits public playground owners from making informed choices on the selection of surfaces most appropriate for their public setting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a variety of playground surfaces, their ability to meet accessibility requirements and their costs upon initial installation. The research questions include: how well do various playground surfaces meet the accessibility requirements upon installation? What are the costs for the various playground surfaces and are the costs related to performance? What accessibility issues arise out of initial installation? A total of 25 sites were visited to evaluate the surface conditions for accessibility and gather information on the costs for installation. The playground surfaces were categorized as either poured in place rubber, rubber tiles, engineered wood fiber, shredded rubber or a hybrid surface system. A visual inspection was conducted at nine pre-determined locations within the play area. Locations were awarded a deficiency score at occurrences where the surface location was not in compliance with the minimum accessibility standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In addition, the surface locations were measured for firmness and stability with a Rotational Penetrometer. Results from this study indicate that there is no perfect playground surface. Even within 12 months of installation, each type of surface has had some type of issue or series of issues that may affect the product’s performance and contribute to the necessity and frequency of surface maintenance to assure accessibility and safety for use by children on a daily basis.