Inclusive playground opens in Tampines, featuring Singapore’s first slide for wheelchair users
The Magical Bridge Playground at Sun Plaza Park is designed for people of all abilities, offering barrier-free access, quiet corners and a sensory garden, to ensure that no one is left out of play.
Singapore’s first playground slide designed for wheelchair users and people with disabilities features a landing space to the right at the bottom of the slide, so that they may wait to be attended to by their caregivers and get back into their wheelchairs. (Photo: National Parks Board)
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SINGAPORE: A slide designed with wheelchair users in mind – the first of its kind in Singapore – is among the inclusive features of a new playground at Sun Plaza Park in Tampines.
The Magical Bridge Playground, opened by the National Parks Board (NParks) on Wednesday (Jun 17), offers wheelchair-accessible equipment, barrier-free routes, as well as amenities for people with autism.
It is open to visitors of all ages and abilities.
The slide was developed by the United States-based non-profit Magical Bridge Foundation, with what it terms as a “slide-and-sit landing”.
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Wheelchair users, aided by their caregivers, will start their play at the top of the slide. When they reach the bottom, there is a flat bench-style landing next to the slide.
This allows them to move to the side landing while waiting for their caregiver to attend to them or for their wheelchair to reach them. It also allows other people to use the slide in the meantime.
The Magical Bridge Foundation deals with innovative and inclusive playground designs, with 14 such playgrounds around the world.
The playground at Sun Plaza Park is its second project here and its first collaboration with NParks.
The first is located near the front lawn of the National Museum of Singapore.
To better support visitors with low vision, contrasting colours are used for the playground equipment and surfaces.
Ms Sun Xueling, Senior Minister of State for National Development, said at the opening on Wednesday: “Beyond physical accessibility, the playground also caters to different sensory and developmental needs.
“There are quiet corners and hideaway huts for those who need a calmer environment, and a sensory garden with raised planters filled with herbs and plants that are safe to touch, rich in scent, providing therapeutic benefits.”
With a size of 0.38ha – or about half a football field – the playground is organised into four zones: the Slide and Tot Zone, Swing Zone, Spin Zone and Sensory Garden. They are meant to invite visitors to discover how seeds are dispersed, whether by wind or by animals.
There is also an amphitheatre for people to gather, with shared activities and programmes to be organised for the community, NParks added.
Ms Sun said: “Play is an integral part of how children grow. Everyone deserves the chance to play freely, to build confidence, to make friends and to understand the world around them.
“An inclusive playground like this one creates the opportunity for that – not only for children with special needs, but for people of all ages and abilities to move, to connect and to belong and play together.”
The playground was funded by a US$3 million (S$3.9 million) donation by Magical Bridge Foundation through its donors Amanda Steckler and the late Vince Steckler.
The donation was made to the Garden City Fund, which is NParks’ registered charity and Institution of Public Character.
Various key stakeholders within the Tampines neighbourhood, including SPD Singapore, Metta School, Thye Hua Kwan EIPIC Centre and MY World, were also consulted during the design process.
NParks said: “Their inputs helped to ensure the playground would serve the needs of the local community, including people who are often left out of traditional play spaces.
“NParks will continue to work with community partners, donors, and the public to develop inclusive spaces across Singapore’s parks and nature areas, so that every visitor, regardless of age or ability, can enjoy the benefits of nature and play.”
Source: CNA/dy(sf)
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