Tobias Elementary PALS student Matthew Tobias (below) enjoys the form-fitted swing that’s one of the adaptive components of the new inclusive playground at the campus. Above, Shelly Spencer, flanked by Zairea Davis, Janice Campa and Michelle Silva, also enjoys the new playground equipment. (Photos by Jim Cullen)
by JIM CULLEN
When Tobias Elementary School opened its new “inclusive playground” this year, it was, in the opinion of Hays CISD special education director Gloria Beare, a significant and cherished accomplishment.
“Having an inclusive playground where regular and special education students could play together has been a dream of mine for a long time,” she admits, adding that “There are few district that have such.”
The dream-turned-reality occupies an undeniably attractive portion of the Tobias playground this school year, one which affords students with special challenges, including wheelchairs, enhanced access and enjoyment.
It is access and enjoyment that, as Beare envisioned, is shared by all students, as observed one recent morning with classes happily mixing during recess.
The pathway to acquiring the special playground was a long time in coming. There is a wide variety of equipment available, a factor that complicated putting the playground out to bid. Beare credits Susan Price in the district’s central purchasing office for being a big help in the process that ran into its initial hurdles four years ago.
“So we began to list things we would like to see and a number of companies then submitted their designs, incorporating as much of what we wanted as possible,” Beare says. Tobias Elementary had already been chosen because it hosts a Preschool Acadmic, Language and Social Skills (PALS) class and a Lifeskills class.
The eventual winning company got the contract at least partially because it offered a Fun Sway, a glider students in wheelchairs can access. Much of the fabricating work was done at nearby Morgan’s Wonderland.
“The children are really enjoying actually getting to play with the unique individual stations, slides and swings, as well as experiencing getting to play with students in regular education,” Beare said.
Both Camino Real Elementary and Negley Elementary schools have similar special needs classes as those at Tobias and look forward to visiting the new playground.
“One of my future goals is to build inclusive playgrounds at each of those campuses,” she said.
