Location of playgrounds for children in wheelchairs

Boundless playgrounds, built in a limited number of neighborhoods, seek to provide play opportunities for all children including those in wheelchairs. They include equipment that accommodates wheelchairs, specially-designed swings, apparatus at reach ranges, and spacious areas for creative play. Two such neighborhood playgrounds were built in the Los Angeles area, California, specifically in Westwood and Griffith Park. Given limited recreational opportunities for children in wheelchairs, one hypothesis is that these playgrounds are located in areas with greatest concentration of children with physical disabilities. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were used to map the location of children with physical disabilities, poor youth, and children whose parents lack personal transportation, using 2000 Los Angeles County Census data. An index was created to indicate areas of highest concentrations of physical disability, poverty, and lack of personal transportation. Clusters of children with physical disabilities existed in the County. These clusters coincided with poverty concentrations. Both playgrounds were located outside of physical disability clusters as well as concentrations of indexed characteristics. Boundless playgrounds, therefore, are not located in areas of greatest need for recreational activities for children with physical disabilities. Parents of children with physical disabilities might need to travel relatively long distances to boundless playgrounds. Similar geospatial analysis could be useful in choosing appropriate areas for future playgrounds.