[00:00:04]
THIS IS A BIG, BIG DAY FOR THE PARISH AND FOR MY DISTRICT.
OBVIOUSLY MY WHOLE FAMILY'S HERE, AND THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO US ON A VERY PERSONAL LEVEL, WHY TODAY WE ARE GOING TO TAKE A HUGE STEP IN MAKING INCLUSIONARY PLAY A REALITY.
MANY TIMES WHEN I TALK ABOUT BUILDING INCLUSION PLAYGROUNDS, PEOPLE WILL SAY, YOU KNOW, HOW NICE IT'S A HANDICAP PLAYGROUND? AND IT'S NOT, IT CERTAINLY IS HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE, BUT THE, IN PART, THE, THE IMPORTANT PART OF INCLUSIONARY PLAY IS THAT EVERYONE OF EVERY ABILITY, DISABILITY HEIGHT, WEIGHT SIZE, WHEELCHAIR, CAN PLAY IN AN INCLUSIONARY PLAYGROUND.
IT'S SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED THOUGH FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE SPECTRUM DISORDERS, SOCIAL DISORDERS, ANXIETY DISORDERS, AND YOU'RE GONNA FIND THAT THE THING THAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT IS THAT EVERYTHING IS TEXTURED.
AND IF YOU EVER WATCH SOMEONE ON THE SPECTRUM, THEY LIKE ORDER, THEY LIKE TO FEEL THINGS, AND YOU'LL NOTICE EVERYTHING IS TEXTURED.
UM, IT IS, UH, ACCESSIBLE ON A DIFFERENT LEVEL, BUT IT ALSO HAS LITTLE QUIET CUTOUTS, LITTLE COVES WHERE PEOPLE CAN PLAY AND GATHER THEMSELVES WHEN THEY GET A LITTLE OVERWHELMED.
ONE OF THE AMAZING FEATURES OF THIS PLAYGROUND IS GONNA BE OUR QUIET GROVE.
BASICALLY, IT'S A PLACE WHERE IF A CHILD GETS OVERSTIMULATED, IF THEY HAVE AUTISM, OR IF THEY GET OVERWHELMED AND START HAVING AN EPISODE OR GET TOO MUCH GOING ON, TOO MUCH ANXIETY, THERE'S A LITTLE BENCH INSIDE OF THIS QUIET GROVE WHERE A CARETAKER OR A PARENT AND THE CHILD WHO'S GETTING, GETTING OVER SIMULATE CAN SIT DOWN AND IT CAN KIND OF RELAX.
IT'S ENC CASE FACING AWAY FROM THE PLAYGROUND, SO THAT THE SOUND AND THE TRAVELING KEEPS THEM SAFE INSIDE.
THERE'S LITTLE FIDGET SPINNERS AND ITEMS THAT THEY CAN KIND OF BE ABLE TO INTERACT WITH AND REALLY GET THAT SENSE OF RELEASE AND CALM DOWN TO GET ME ABLE TO GO JOIN THEIR FRIENDS AND GET BACK ON THE PLAYGROUND.
TODAY, WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN TO TEAR DOWN THE OLD PLAYGROUND, BUT WE'RE TEARING DOWN MORE THAN JUST THE OLD PLAYGROUND.
WE'RE TEARING DOWN THE OLD ATTITUDES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH PLAY.
THE FACT THAT YOU'RE BUILDING THIS PLAYGROUND FOR EVERYBODY TO HAVE THOSE EXPERIENCES IS, IS REALLY A NEW ERA FOR JEFFERSON PARISH BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE THIS BEFORE.
WE ALL KNOW SOMEONE IN OUR FAMILY, OR A FRIEND THAT HAS A CHILD WITH SOME SORT OF DISABILITY, AND I'M VERY PROUD TO REPRESENT THIS DISTRICT AND HAVE THIS PLAYGROUND IN OUR, IN LA LANIER PARK.
THIS IS FOR ALL OF JEFFERSON PARISH, AND I'M THRILLED TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH ALL THE LOCAL OFFICIALS BECAUSE WE, WE SAY WE SAW SOMETHING AND WE KNEW IT NEEDED TO BE BETTER, AND WE CONTINUE TO MAKE IT BETTER.
THESE INCLUSIONARY INCLUSIVE PLAYGROUNDS ARE KIND OF A NEW CONCEPT HERE IN SOUTHERN LOUISIANA.
UH, AND I BELIEVE THAT BOHANAN HAS PUT IT ON THE MAP FOR PEOPLE ON THE SPECTRUM.
THEY HAVE A VERY DIFFICULT TIME ASKING OTHERS TO PLAY WITH THEM AND APPROACHING OTHERS, AND SO THIS CREATES THAT NECESSITY TO MAKE THE EQUIPMENT WORK.
THEY HAVE TO PLAY TOGETHER, AND SO IT OPENS THE DOOR, AND MY NEPHEW SAID IT BEST WHEN CHILDREN HAVE TO PLAY WITH ME.
THEY KNOW THAT I'M NOT WEIRD, AND THEN IT OPENS THE DOOR FOR THEM TO PLAY WITH ME.