ORLANDO, Fla. — Recess is the ideal time for elementary school children to take a break from classes.
Leaders of Sally Ride Elementary School in Orange County are making sure that’s an inclusive experience for all students by opening an accessible playground at the beginning of this school year.
Aria is a third grader at Sally Ride Elementary, and on the playground, she’s the queen of tag and hide and seek. Aira Borras says recess is thrilling now for her daughter, who no longer has to sit on the sidelines.
“It’s a playground for all kids to play together,” Borras said. “It’s about inclusion. It’s about belonging.”
Mom says playing here empowers Aria to focus on the things she can do.
“It’s important for us as parents to know that she feels that way,” Borras said. “That she can go where all the kids go.”
She said that Aria loves riding the accessible swing, rocking and laughing with children who do and don’t use mobility devices. Aria calls the swing the boat and herself the captain, inviting friends on board.
Mom is thrilled to see her daughter have so much fun.
“She loves it,” Borras said. “She comes home every day telling me that she came here for a little bit every single day.”
Principal Kahlil Ortiz said the school has some medically fragile students and several others with intellectual disabilities, and the accessible playground gives them a better opportunity to play with their classmates.
“I think that all students should have the opportunity to play and play authentically” Ortiz said. “And that’s what this playground brings to Sally Ride and to our community.”
Ortiz said there are musical instrument on the playground that help students express themselves while using adaptable handles.
“So, students can hold them from different ways,” Ortiz said while demonstrating how the handles work. “And if you look at the way this is angled, students with wheelchairs are able to get under here and access the musical instrument.”
Orange County School Board Member Alicia Farrant said the playground “is truly the definition of inclusion.”
Farrant led the way to make this project happen over the last four years. She said all the phone calls and meetings were worth it when she watches the children play here.
“To know that kids for generations to come will be able to giggle and laugh and feel like a regular kids, it means the world to me,” she said.
Whether it’s creating a melody, chasing another student or playing captain on a pretend boat, Borras said she believes that playing here with her friends is helping Aria create a lifetime filled with confidence.
“We tell her that she can do it all,” Borras said. “She can do it all. She has no limits.”
OCPS officials say there are three other schools that have accessible playgrounds: Lake Silver Elementary School, Deerwood Elementary and Windy Ridge K through 8.