A playground for all children

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, an Atlantic Beach resident formerly of Oceanside, 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 and 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 go toward the project through 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,” Weisenberg 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 aimed at not only catering to children with special needs, but also adults with disabilities. There will be handicapped accessible parking, washroom facilities, pathways and seating.