Adaptive Swing

I haven’t seen this in use but here is a product that might be useful for those who need more supportive swings than most of the parks here provide, or who cannot safely sit upright. This is made to be attached to a regular park swing. There are two sizes. The smaller swing comes with the harness as standard and the larger size can be purchased with or without harness. The max weight for the large size is 200 lbs, so it would be suitable for some adults.

https://relaxsling.com/

Photo description: an orange hammock-style swing with a three-point harness suspended from the chains of a standard playground swing.

Playground of Dreams

The Playground of Dreams at Columbia Park in Kennewick just reopened last weekend after a complete renovation. The old playground was almost all made of wood, with bark chips on the ground and surrounded by a wooden fence. There was considerable controversy over the redesign, since the new playground is very, very different. I can see why people liked the natural materials of the old playground, but from the perspective of a parent of a disabled child, the new design is much better. The play equipment is spaced out enough that you can actually see where your child is (unlike the old playground where it would have been very easy to lose sight of your kid), and there are a number of features that make it much more friendly to kids with walkers, wheelchairs, or balance issues.

 Also, finally a Kennewick park with swings! This is the first Kennewick park I’ve reviewed because all of the newer parks (with flat surfaces) there seem to have no swings. M loves swings—they’re always the first thing she asks about when we go to a park—so it’s no fun for us to go to a park that doesn’t have them, and if a park has mulch she can’t walk around by herself at all. I will try, in future, to go by myself to some parks that don’t have swings, but right now it’s easier to review parks where I can take M and where she’ll have fun.

Playground: toddler play equipment is not separate from the things oriented to bigger kids. There is a LOT to play on at this park, including slides of all sizes, two large play structures and several smaller ones. The biggest play structure has a long series of ramps—great for walker practice! The others do not have ramps. There is a tiny play house that is flat on the ground.
Swings: lots of swings! One small swing set has a regular swing and a standard baby swing. The other has four regular swings, two ages 5-12 harness swings, and two baby/adult tandem swings, one with a standard baby swing and the other with a plastic molded fuller-support baby swing. There is also a suspended merry-go-round swing (exactly like the one in West Chiawana Park), and a spinning plastic arm chair which has slots that you could pass straps through it you brought your own harness system.
Surface: rubberized under most of the equipment but mulch under the swings. I’m really disappointed  by this. My husband theorized that it’s a concession to the people who wanted more “natural material” at the park. Maybe. Regardless of the reason, it’s annoying to deal with.
Musical toys: lots, and the push button ones all work since they’re new. The buttons are very, very easy to push, you barely touch them and they activate. I was pleased. But the ones that have musical notes need to be re-wired or re-programmed or something, because the musical scale is playing backwards relative to the labels (i.e. the labels say C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C and what you hear when you press the buttons is C,B,A,G,F,E,D,C). Like other parks, some of the musical toys are mounted too high for a short child or child in a small wheelchair to reach.
Climbing toys: lots and lots of things to climb!
Sidewalk: yes
Adult seating: yes
Shade: none on the playground but plenty of mature trees nearby
Bathrooms: yes
Parking: two lots both with reserved ADA spots
Fence: no. The playground is, however, much further away from the river than the playgrounds in the other area river side parks, and even the parking lots are a short distance away, not right next to the park.

• Special features: tiny play house, play structure shaped like a ship (ship’s wheel is accessible from the ground!), play structure shaped like a construction digger (for those who can climb ladders), play structure shaped like a train with train station and push-button panel that makes four train-related sounds. There is also a splash pad next to the playground.

Photo description: lots of swings over mulch.

Photo description: crawling/climbing structure on the right and play train station in the distance.

Photo description: looking under the train play structure toward a construction vehicle play structure.

Photo description: train-shaped play structure and ship-themed structure in the distance.

Photo description: ship-themed play structure and merry-go-round swing in the distance.

Photo description: small swing structure over mulch, and large treehouse themed play structure with ramps in the distance.

Photo description: a cute little play house.

Mariposa Park

Mariposa Park in Pasco looks as if the equipment was designed by the same company that did West Chiawana Park’s playground, but it is not as good for toddlers or children with physical disabilities as Chiawana. If you have a bigger kid who loves to climb, this might be a good park for you.

Playground: mainly one big structure with three tall slides, no toddler sized things. Even the first step up to the play equipment was taller than normal, and the hand rail started at the second step.
Swings: two standard swings and one tandem standard swing/baby swing
Surface: rubberized
Musical toys: there was a push-button noise making toy installed but it doesn’t work
Climbing wall: no wall but tons of other different things to climb
Shade: no
Fence: no
Adult seating: yes
Parking: street
Sidewalks: yes
Bathroom: port-a-potty

Photo description: a distance view of the playground showing its lack of trees.

Photo description: a large umbrella shades a small portion of the playground equipment. Two long blue slides and one spiral climbing tower are also visible.

Photo description: a tandem standard swing and baby swing and two standard swings stand slightly apart from the rest of the playground. A concrete block shelter enclosing a port-a-potty is visible in the background.

Leslie Groves Park

Leslie Groves is another river side park, in Richland. The playground equipment is older, but still fun. On a pleasant Saturday morning it was buzzing with activity: walkers, bikers, children on the playground, families at picnic tables, and fishermen on the dock.

Playground: one large play structure with toddler sized slides, larger slides, and monkey bars branching off. 2/3rds of the play structure can be accessed by ramps.
Swings: 2 baby and 2 standard swings. You have to step down off a curb of significant height to get to the swings; there is no ramp.
Surface: mulch. Both the swings and playground structure are in recessed areas of mulch, but the play structure’s ramp is accessed from the surrounding sidewalk.
Shade: many mature trees shade most of the playground.
Adult seating: yes; swinging bench, stationary bench, picnic shelter
Climbing wall: no
Musical toys: no
Fence: no
Sidewalks: yes
Bathrooms: yes; no changing table, and though it is nominally ADA accessible the hallway and ADA stall might be a bit narrow.
Parking: lot, did not see any marked ADA spots in the lot nearest the playground.

Photo description: a small girl with a posterior walker heads down a long sidewalk to a playground. There are mature trees and a river in the background.

Photo description: a long ramp is integrated into the play structure.

Chiawana Park

Each of the Tri-Cities has a big park along the river, and Pasco's is Chiawana Park. There are at least two playgrounds. The one at the eastern end has older equipment, mulch, and no toddler swings. We played at the playground at the western end of the park today, which is more modern. This isn't a good park for a kid who runs off--it's very close to the river, and my husband, who grew up here, tells me there are sometimes snakes lurking in taller grass by the water's edge. This morning was my first time at Chiawana and we will definitely be back. It's a great place for a picnic: there are two picnic shelters right by the playground and another not far away, plus a few other tables scattered around. The breeze coming off the river was nice on a warm summer morning. This is a fantastic playground for daredevil types: lots to climb, a tall play structure with a couple of quite tall slides, and a slightly dangerously exciting merry go round swing. I would have loved this park as a kid.

Playground: mainly one large play structure, with both small and tall slides, a bridge, several different kinds of climbing equipment, and neat "stained glass" fan shapes overhead, one of which can be made to spin.
Swings: one tandem swing which is a combination of hard plastic baby swing and a regular swing, facing each other. It can be used by a parent or older child and toddler/baby swinging together, or with just one person occupying the swing. There is also a "merry go round" type swing, with three seats. The seats are disks hanging from a thick rope, and swing around in a circle.
Musical toys: yes. The drums are similar to the ones in a number of parks around here, and like others, mounted too high for my toddler to reach without being picked up. There are also bells and some other noisemaking toys, and these were easier to reach. Two push-button noise making toys appear to be broken.
Playground surface: rubberized
Climbing wall: not a regular rock climbing type wall, but lots of other fun things to climb.
Shade: lots of mature trees. At 10am much of the playground was shaded, though not the tandem swing.
Adult seating: yes
Bathroom: yes, some bathrooms in a cinderblock structure and also an ADA port-a-potty
Fence: no
Parking: lot with a few ADA spaces. Playground is not far from the lot, down a gentle slope.

Photo description: the playground viewed from the parking lot.

Photo description: the playground structure features a toddler-sized double slide.

Photo description: a merry-go-round swing with three seats.

Photo description: M and I demonstrate the tandem swing. 

Photo description: another view of the playground structure, showing climbing equipment. 

Photo description: ducks swimming on the river viewed from a park bench.

Crested Hills Park

This Richland park was bigger than I was expecting in terms of its green space. The actual playground is the size I would expect for a neighborhood park. As for its accessibility, well, they tried. The play surface is rubberized and on a lower level than the surrounding grass and pavement. The playground is divided into two areas with a strip of sidewalk down the middle. You have to go all the way to the end of this narrow strip to get to the ramps down into the play area, dodging two benches along the way. It was barely wide enough for M’s walker and I am not sure it would be wide enough for a full size wheelchair. It would be almost impossible with a double stroller. Also, the ramps are the mottled brown rubberized material of the play surface (unlike the concrete ramp at Claybell Park) and it took me a minute to be able to see them. There’s no demarcation line or any clear visual cue of where the ramps begin or end. A person with low vision would struggle to find and use these ramps.

Another issue with this park is that there is a storm drain pond just a few feet from the playground, with lots of vegetation around it. This is definitely not the right park if your child tends to run off or try to hide from you.

Playground: one large play structure with typical features. The stairs do not have hand rails all the way to the bottom; the rails begin at the third step.
Swings: baby swings and standard swings
Musical toys: no
Playground surface: soft rubberized
Climbing wall: yes, in an interesting volcano shape with a platform at the top
Shade: one large tree shaded a lot of grass and a small corner of the playground. A number of other trees placed around will mature into good shade trees in a few years.
Adult seating: two benches facing the playground, two picnic tables in a picnic shelter a short distance away
Bathroom: ADA port-a-potty
Fence: no
Parking: parallel on the street. The playground is a bit of a walk, maybe 30 yards from the street.

Photo description: playground described in the post with narrow sidewalk down the middle and difficult-to-see ramps onto the rubberized play surface. The volcano-shaped climbing wall features prominently.

Photo description: the storm drain pond near the playground, which is totally covered with vegetation.

Photo description: a panoramic view of the extensive green space of the park, with Badger Mountain in the background. The basketball court can be seen in the middle ground.

There is a full sized basketball court next to the playground. There were also some soccer goal nets set up in a grassy area on the other side of the pond. There is a long loop of sidewalk, gently sloping, around the park which makes for a nice walk.

Hills West Park

This is our neighborhood park, so we visit it quite a bit, even though it isn’t wheel friendly. It’s in a quiet area, and the only streets that come right up to the park are cul-de-sacs. It’s not fenced, but it might still be an ok park if your kid is a runner as long as you keep your eyes peeled and you’re fast enough to catch them. There is a curb/step down into the play area that is particularly unfriendly to wheeled mobility devices of all kinds. We don’t even bring her walker when we go to this park, we usually push her stroller up to the curb and then carry M or hold her hands if she wants to walk.

Big kid playground: yes
Little kid playground: small slide and small steps integrated with the single large play structure
Swings: big kid and baby swings
Musical toys: no
Bathrooms: no
Paved walkways: no (the whole park is grass except for the mulched play area)
Playground surface: mulch
Adult seating: one picnic bench
Shade: yes, not over all the play area but at least some part will be in the shade much of the day
Climbing wall: yes, big plastic “rock” without protruding handholds
Fence: no
Parking: street