Disir
Platinum Member
- Sep 30, 2011
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The first lady of Magic
It was in the early mid-2000s when Villarreal looked for a suitable playground where Ava and her other daughter, Emma, who is non-disabled, could play together. She asked Greg Betts, the city's then-Community Services Department director, which of Palo Alto's 34 playgrounds could accommodate Ava. Betts said all parks were compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Villarreal, however, explained that ADA rules only required "accessibility" and not the actual usability of the playground equipment.
"Greg said we could do a walk-through," she recalled. But Villarreal had another idea: They should do a "roll through," an exercise that would be mindful of how a wheelchair user would approach the playground.
"Layer it with adults and seniors and all of a sudden the (city's existing) playground is not compliant," she said.
A daughter's disability. A mother's ingenuity. And the playground that's launching a revolution.
This is fantastic.
It was in the early mid-2000s when Villarreal looked for a suitable playground where Ava and her other daughter, Emma, who is non-disabled, could play together. She asked Greg Betts, the city's then-Community Services Department director, which of Palo Alto's 34 playgrounds could accommodate Ava. Betts said all parks were compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Villarreal, however, explained that ADA rules only required "accessibility" and not the actual usability of the playground equipment.
"Greg said we could do a walk-through," she recalled. But Villarreal had another idea: They should do a "roll through," an exercise that would be mindful of how a wheelchair user would approach the playground.
"Layer it with adults and seniors and all of a sudden the (city's existing) playground is not compliant," she said.
A daughter's disability. A mother's ingenuity. And the playground that's launching a revolution.
This is fantastic.
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