A brand-new playground designed for people of all abilities and ages is coming soon to downtown Lansing. More than 2 million dollars have been raised for the project.
The Capital Region Community Foundation is building what it’s calling the first completely barrier-free playground in the area.
Laurie Baumer is the organization’s Vice President. She says the playground on the city’s riverfront will feature a transfer mechanism. The mechanism allows children using wheelchairs to get up to the top of a slide on their own.
“If they choose, they can actually get off the slide or out of their wheelchair, if they're able, they can get off in onto this, what they call a transfer platform, and turn their body so that they can actually go down the slide independently,” she says.
Baumer says the playground will also feature picnic tables and benches large enough to fit up to two wheelchairs. The playground is expected to open to the public this fall.