The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
New wheelchairaccessible swing temporarily closed
WINSTED — A new wheelchair-accessible swing at the Rowley Street playground is out of commission for now, following complaints on social media, an official said.
According to the Winsted Facebook page posts, which have since been deleted from the page, a parent alleged their child hurt his head on the swing.
The newly installed equipment allows a child in a wheelchair to roll his or her chair onto a small ramp and onto a swinging platform, and is specifically for wheelchairs, said Recreation Director Tanya Risucci.
She did not know who was hurt, Risucci said.
“There’s a ramp and the chair physically goes on it, and the child gets buckled in,” she said. “So it’s for kids who can’t get out of their wheelchairs. That’s why we put it in. It’s been there for three or four weeks already, and we just finished putting in the ramp the other day.”
The swing isn’t supposed to be used by other children, the director said.
“We had handicap signs on it, but some kids
unfortunately took the stickers off,” Risucci said.
“We’ve blocked it off
with yellow caution tape for now, so no one can use it,” she said.
The director encouraged families who use the playground to teach their children what “handicapped”
means and not to use the swing unless it is done with a wheelchair. She did not say how long the swing would be closed off.
“It’s common sense; if it’s for a handicapped person,
and you’re not, then you shouldn’t use it,” Risucci said.
“It’s a handicapped swing,” she said. I got more stickers today, and we’ll put them back on.”