Some parents in the District say a few of our playgrounds are not accessible to children with disabilities.
"All children deserve a place to play, whether they have disabilities," said Jamie Davis Smith.
She deserves it, but it looks like it's harder than it should be for Davis Smith's 10-year-old daughter Claire, who uses a wheelchair.
"For some reasons that are inexplicable places like D.C. choose to build playgrounds that are not accessible to all children," said Davis Smith.
Two of those parks, says Davis Smith, are Northwest's Lafayette Park, renovated in 2014, and Kalorama Park, renovated in 2016.
Disability Rights DC at University Legal Services agrees with her... claiming the District is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the ADA, a federal law that guarantees equal access to facilities, including playgrounds.
While there's plenty for a kid to do here, Davis Smith says there's only one piece of equipment her daughter can access: an adaptive swing.
"None of the other equipment is accessible to her or other children with disabilities," said Davis Smith.
That is, if they can get her into the play area.
"The entire perimeter of the park is surrounded by a curb that is extremely difficult to access by a wheelchair," Davis Smith said.
If you make it in, there's another challenge:
"It's extremely difficult to push a wheelchair over the flooring," she said.
The playground surface is made from Engineered Wood Fiber, which DC Public Parks and Rec spokeswoman Gwen Crump says was supported by stakeholders and community members.
But Crump adds that they're now reconsidering that decision.
Davis Smith insists that the District has largely ignored her complaints.
While she applauds other special needs services the city provides, she says the District is falling short when it comes to play.
