The All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH), Mysuru, has developed an inclusive therapy park, which, according to the institute, is one of its kind for children with communication disorders, including wheelchair users.
The park is designed keeping the barrier-free model in mind, making it accessible to all individuals, irrespective of their abilities. It provides an inclusive environment for children with special needs and facilitates their independent play skills.
Vikas Sheel, Additional Secretary, Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare, inaugurated the facility in the presence of Mysuru MP Pratap Simha, AIISH Director M. Pushpavathi and others.
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The park houses several adapted play equipment including wheel-chair-enabled swing and merry-go-round, mother- and child-friendly see-saw, tyre and rope climbers, tyre tunnels and crawlers, and mini- and multi-play stations. The swing and merry-go-round have been fitted with safe seats to make children without upper body support feel secure, a release from AIISH said.
The existing parks outside the AIISH campus here are mostly meant for typically developing children and are not easily accessible for children with special needs, especially cerebral palsy.
Funds were provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Mysore City Corporation.
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Experts at the AIISH said the park would foster physical development which is key for the growth, coordination and the movement of the body. The park would be a place for children to engage with their peers and make friends as they get limited opportunities to play and spend time together along with other children, the release said.
The uniqueness of the park also lies in its multi-sensory interactive walls, designed in the shape of a train, to enhance sensory perception. The wall has embossed materials of different textures, materials that make different sounds, which will provide multisensory stimulation.
A sensory pathway on the floor of the train is constructed using different textures such as grass, sand, differently textured tiles etc. The entry to the train has wheelchair access. For stimulating the olfactory and gustatory senses, an herbal garden is also in place.
The park also includes an exercise area for adults and elderly persons with communication disorders such as aphasia, dysarthria and apraxia with co-morbid motor disabilities. A ramp with railings has been constructed which leads to the adult zone from the child zone.