Cape Town - The first blind-friendly park was unveiled in Bellville on Tuesday morning by the Athlone School for the Blind and the City of Cape Town.
The park has a unique design and many special features.
“The school is 89 years old and we are very excited,” said principal Fletcher Fisher.
“It’s the first time I know an organisation did something for the visually impaired, to include them into society. I am always concerned about the learners’ safety.
“When I came to check out the park for the learners, I thought it was tar, but it’s actually play park rubber matting. Our children are fully included and it’s about three minutes away from the school.”
Landscape architect Samantha Glen said: “I spoke to mobility specialists about this park. The mosaic along the wall is used because they are starved of stimulation and needed the interaction.”
There are also special pathways, the surface of which varies in order to provide stimulation, and the walls are adorned with learning tools like compasses.
There are also special bells attached to the swings in the park to alert blind children so that they can avoid being hurt. Black fencing separates the play park from a scented garden where there are concrete benches surrounded by plants and grassy picnic spots.
“It was challenging and there are no spinning things because blind children would get disorientated. We are still completing it, but the Braille on the wall is being specially made and it will tell stories about bees and gardens,” said Glen.
The park was filled with children from the Athlone School for the Blind at the launch on Tuesday.
Kirstone Williams, 9, said: “It’s very nice. Enjoyable. We were excited when we came here for the first time. I like the flowers and the bees.”
Craig Swartz, 12, said: “We feel excited and are playing around. We enjoy ourselves.”
Mbali Ngxambaza, 12, said: “I am excited. I like this park.”
Ernestine Hufke, teacher at Athlone School for the Blind, said: “It’s really good for them to experience something like this.”
“It’s safe, they learn a lot. We can bring them here for creative arts and physical education. Our school is not safe for the learners due to the unsafe foundation. The rubber matting is a huge help.”
Mayco member for transport, Brett Herron said: “The project started out as a transport project. We were upgrading the sidewalks and included elements for the visually impaired pedestrians given that the school is in this area, tactile paving and dropped curves and when we had funding leftover, we thought it up to create a play area. Even though it’s not a transport function, it’s really a rewarding experience.”
Cape Argus