IN THE SWING OF THINGS
Four city parks to get new ADA compliant equipment
WATERVLIET, N.Y. » Swings geared towards children with disabilities will soon be installed in four city parks.
The four swings, all Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant, are the result of a community effort, said Councilman Charles Patricelli.
Patricelli said people have talked about the need for these types of swings in city parks for a while now, and thanks to fundraising events hosted by the Parks Committee and community donations, the swings will be shipped within the next week and should be installed by the end of summer.
Patricelli said that the idea came about after one of the Parks Committee members, who has worked with handicap children before, suggested that the city look into trying to get the ADA-approved swings. The ADA approved swings cost roughly $500 a piece.
“This has really been a community effort and community pushed, it was something that just kind of got going and I’m very happy about it,” said Patricelli. “It was just so refreshing to see the amount of people that were interested in helping.”
Patricelli is excited that the city parks will soon be able to better accommodate families and children with disabilities thanks to these donated swings.
“[People would have to] go to other places to use one of these swings because they have an autistic child or they have a child that would need a swing like that and it is kind of nice to see that we’re actually helping out a few people that we have in the city and there’s probably others that we don’t even know that can benefit from these swings,” said Patricelli.
City officials also recently adopted the Think Differently initiative developed by Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro to improve access to community services and facilities for those with special needs.
The City of Troy also participates in the Think Differently initiative and currently has two ADA approved swings installed in two different city parks.
Troy City Council President Carmella Mantello, a mother of two, one of whom has special needs, worked with local nonprofit groups to have the first handicap- accessible swing installed in the North Lake Avenue Park along with a second one recently installed at the 112th Street Park in Lansingburgh.
Mantello has requested that Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds be used to put an ADA compliant swing in every city park.
“Since the City Council unan- imously passed my resolution adopting the ‘ Think Differently’ initiative, which promotes more accessibility and inclusiveness for our developmentally disabled and special needs community, our city has installed handicapped accessible swings, held a forum to identify projects and goals, and the city announced an ADA compliance officer.
“As a Mom with a special needs son, I know firsthand the impediments and obstacles we face on a daily basis. Whether it be the Farmer’s Market and other outdoor city events or our city parks, we need to and will do a better job to make our city the most accessible and welcoming city in the state for our special needs and developmentally disabled community.”
Cohoes Mayor Shawn Morse said that city officials met Monday morning to discuss the possibility of having swings and other equipment for people with disabilities installed in various city parks.