Inclusive playground at Valley View Elementary in Wadsworth nearing completion

WADSWORTH — All students at Valley View Elementary School in Wadsworth can play on the playground with their peers starting in the 2025-26 school year. Haley Duerr started working on the inclusive playground project four years ago when she was a special education teacher at Valley View. She is currently the assistant principal at Wadsworth Middle School. At Valley View, she noticed one of her students developed a friendship with another student who did not have a disability. She said the two just wanted to play together on the playground. "The playground had a lot of mulch," Duerr said. "The student had mobility difficulties and couldn't access the mulch because of the walker that the child used. It just broke my heart that this student couldn't go play with the friends he made because of mobility challenges and difficulties." This incident inspired the vision of a playground for children of all ability levels, she said. There were challenges along the way because an inclusive playground is very expensive. "(State Rep.) Sharon Ray (R-Wadsworth) came to my classroom and listened to me," Duerr said. "She walked the playground with me, and she saw my vision and was excited to take on the project with me." A grant from the state and funding from organizations like the GPD Foundation allowed the vision for the playground to become a reality, she said. She estimates the cost for the project will be around $250,000. "There were many times where I was getting discouraged because it was taking so many years, but after multiple years of fundraising, we were able to reach the goal," Duerr said. Most of the playground features have been installed already, she said. There is equipment designed to accommodate wheelchair users such as swings and a rocker on the playground and musical and sensory equipment. "The playground itself is all a ramp, so kids and parents in wheelchairs can get up on it," Duerr said. "If they have a parent who is disabled and in a wheelchair, they can also utilize this equipment with their child." The next step is for rubber flooring to be installed, which should be done soon, she said. The flooring makes the playground more accessible to people who have mobility issues. The plan is to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony in August, Duerr said. Students will use the playground during the school year, and it will be open to the public when school is not in session. "It's going to be a resource for kids with disabilities but also typical peers and their parents as well," she said. "That's what's so exciting about it is that it's going to be something that will help such a wide range of people." Friendship is the biggest component of the inclusive playground, Duerr said. "There's so many barriers to a child that has a disability, and they have so many challenges each and every day that most typical kids don't have to go through," she said. "If they build a friendship, they can go play with the kids. It allows them to keep those friendships going, feel confident and not have to feel like they are on the sidelines like they are in so many other aspects of their life." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.