All kids will get to play

Soon, there will be a playground, one where all the children can play.

Supporters recently celebrated the groundbreaking for construction of a universally accessible park at Eisenhower Park, in East Meadow, next to Parking Field No. 4.

The one-of-a-kind playground is scheduled to open next summer.

David Weingarten, a 25-year Oceanside resident, is the executive director of Let All The Children Play, a non-profit charitable foundation established with the goal of providing a fun place for disabled as well as non-disabled children.

“So often our children with disabilities are left on the sidelines or in the stands, only to watch,” said Weingarten, who spearheaded the project. “It’s time to make that change.”

The $1.3 million project will be financed through a combination of private donations and assistance from the county’s voter-approved Environmental Bond Act of 2006. Also, about $250,000 in state funding will be directed to the project thanks to the efforts of Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg.

Weisenberg, a renowned advocate for children with special needs, noted that this project would lead to more opportunities in the future. “This is only the first spoke in the wheel to make Nassau County the center for all of our people with developmental disabilities,” he said, “and for our families so they can have respite, they can have dignity and respect and quality of life.”

According to the plans, the site includes adapted structures, ramps and swings. It is also to cater not only to children with special needs, but also adults with disabilities. There will be handicapped accessible parking, washroom facilities, pathways and seating.

In addition to the playground equipment, a year-round recreational program for all children will be established. Leaders will coordinate activities that incorporate both disabled children and their able-bodied peers.

“We all have the responsibility to respect the rights of our children with special needs and their dreams so they too can enjoy the public recreation facility with their peers,” Weingarten said. “This Eisenhower Park playground is being designed and built to not only meet ADA guidelines, but to expand the requirements.”

Weingarten worked for several years as an advocate for children with special needs, offering financial services to families and leading the Long Island Family Support Consumer Council.

When he was introduced to the universal playground modeled in Ra’nana, Israel, in 2005, he quickly went to work on establishing a similar one in Nassau County, along with founder and key benefactor Michael Alon.

Joining Weingarten at the groundbreaking were County Executive Thomas Suozzi and Legislator Jeff Toback, who helped orchestrate the appropriation of about $850,000 through the Environmental Bond Act.

“I believe when this facility is done it will bring a lot of joy,” Suozzi said, “and a lot of pleasure and some small miracles into people’s lives.”

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