One public playground and one school playground that is accessible to physically-, sensory-, and learning-disabled children in every community in every state — that's the goal of Boundless Playgrounds, a non-profit organization in Bloomfield, Conn., that since 1997 has been helping kids around the globe do what kids do best: play.

Boundless Playgrounds provides technical support and guidance for groups building accessible playgrounds, which are designed so that at least 70 percent of the activities can be enjoyed by children with physical disabilities who require support equipment. Additionally, the playground equipment is sensory-rich, which means children with developmental and sensory disabilities can actively participate.

“With some innovation, most playground equipment can be made to be accessible to any child,” says Nancy Chambers, senior program manager for Boundless Playgrounds. “The playgrounds can include molded plastic swings that provide full-body support and poured-in-place rubber surfacing so children with walkers and wheelchairs can access most areas, even see-saws can become accessible if a back support is installed on the seat.”

One of these playgrounds is Lily's Garden in Nashville, which opened Dec. 15, 2001, in a park near Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, the Harris-Hilman Special Education School and an elementary school. Built to honor 3-year-old Lily Shaw, who has spinal muscular atrophy, it's the first public playground of its kind in Tennessee, says Lily's mother, Lynne Shaw.

“Integrated, accessible play is something whose time has come,” Shaw says, noting that response to Lily's Garden has been tremendous. “There's a lot of great assistive technology our there, but not a lot of activities that a child in a wheelchair can do.”

Volunteers from Lebanon, Tenn.-based Permobil — which manufactures Lily's Robo wheelchair — helped make Lily's Garden possible. The company also made a contribution toward the cost of materials for the playground.

“Helping build this wheelchair-accessible playground was something we wanted to do to honor Lily and ensure that all children in the area have a chance to play,” says Larry Jackson, president of Permobil.

According to Chambers, playgrounds can cost from $30,000 for a small play area, to upwards of $1 million for a regional park such as the Shane's Inspiration playground in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, which now serves as Boundless Playground's Resource Center West. Given the price tag, involvement is welcomed from companies specifically involved in disability issues or those that simply want to give back to their communities, Chambers says.

“Projects initially were generated out of a family's commitment to the memory or well-being of a child, or by a community circling around a specific population such as a school for the blind,”Chambers says. “But we now have public parks and recreation and [city governments] requesting projects.”

For more information about Lily's Garden and Boundless Playgrounds, visit www.lilysgarden.org or www.boundlessplaygrounds.org.