Invisibly inclusive? What is that?
In my workshops on inclusive play, people often ask me “I’d like to see a real inclusive play ground. Where can I find one?” The Netherlands now has a number of cool inclusive playground. Proudly in the top three for me is the Ettegerpark in Zutphen. It is a park that offers playtime fun to a very diverse group of users. From free runners, to toddlers and from wheelchair users to hut builders. And all at the same time. No one gets in each other’s way; indeed, the park actually promotes meeting and playing together. That’s not by accident. From the very beginning, the park was designed with accessibility and inclusion as basic requirements. This has ensured that the park breathes inclusive play and meeting without you being able to immediately see why it is such a nice place. Designer Suzanne van Ginneken calls that invisibly inclusive design.
Initiator of Etteger Park, Mariette Coops of Stichting Spoenk and Suzanne van Ginneken of Speelnatuur are organizing an excursion to Etteger Park on September 28 and October 21. The excursion is part of the basic training “How to realize a successful inclusive community playground?”. I will be present at the excursion and will talk about how to involve local inhabitants sustainably in an initiativ
e like Ettegerpark. For more info about the training and excursion, click here. See you in Zutphen!
