The All Abilities Playground at Leslie Patrick Park, Arana Hills opened in 2019. The award-winning playground was the first of its kind in South East Queensland. It aims to cater for children and adults of all abilities and is a space we are proud of.

We know from Moreton Says that our community values inclusive facilities and prioritising diversity. 89% of community members told us they believe Council plays an important role in ensuring the city has the services and facilities it needs to support physical and mental wellbeing.

In 2023 we heard that you wanted this playground to be even more accessible. To address this desire, we designed a new inclusive playspace for children and adults who are blind or have low vision.

Inspired by a “braille trail”, the draft concept plan (displayed via an interactive map below) features unique tactile and sensory play elements. It was prepared with input from industry experts, users with lived experience and Vision Australia.

Community consultation was open between 15 July and 11 August 2024. During this time, we hosted two workshops with targeted stakeholders (users with lived experience and professionals engaged via Vision Australia) and had a community survey open online. Thank you to all those who contributed to this process.

During the consultation we received feedback from a range of users including professionals working in the space (speech pathologists, occupational therapists and access consultants), park users with lived-experience, including parents of children who are blind or have low vision, adults who are blind or have low vision, carers and other community members. Generally, we heard…

• Positive feedback about the draft concept design and the considerations already made for the intended user group
• Insights on how the elements can be improved to best meet needs, e.g. different ideas about garden edging for optimal wayfinding (navigation).

Feedback is currently being reviewed by the project team. A draft Concept Plan will be shared with the community by the end of 2024.