Community Interest Company
DISABLED ADULT PLAY PARKS
Michele Morrice, who is a full-time carer to her son, Declan who is 28 years old, with support of Invisible Army started a petition to Bristol City Council. This petition states the need for a safe play setting for people aged 16 years and older with additional needs; for not only them but also for their carers.
This petition is now at over 53,000 signatures.
Declan is 6ft 5 and has severe Autism, is nonverbal, with challenging behaviour, Tourette’s, and Bipolar. Dec loves the park especially the bird swing, but a large man with a disability at a public park causes stress for both of Michele and Declan, as other people attending the park can be very unkind.
Michele and Carina attended a Bristol full council meeting in November debating the petition and the need for a disabled adult play park.
Our speech
The response from our Mayor, Marvin Rees was disappointing. He stated:
"Thank you for bringing your petition to Full Council and for the speech you made in support
of the proposal.
I appreciate the benefits that having access to play settings provides for disabled people and
their families. I am particularly grateful to you for sharing the challenges Declan encounters
when accessing your local park.
We are committed that all public spaces, amenities and activities in Bristol should be
accessible and welcoming to people with disabilities. This may necessitate specific
equipment that some people might need, or offering specific sessions (which make available
equipment and support to accommodate different people’s needs) at parks facilities. This
may offer a more inclusive approach over and above any specific facilities for disabled adults
which the council could explore.
We will ask council officers to consider the proposals as set out in the petition. In the
meantime, however, we will ask officers to explore ways we can improve the accessibility of
our parks and green spaces, and particularly our city’s play equipment, for adults with
disabilities."
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Our Next Steps:
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Awaiting a response from Bristol City Council from our request to a round table meeting with Marvin Rees.
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Looking at what funding is available and start fundraising (see below)
If you have any comments or questions we would also love to hear from you!