Hope is coming to Hall County's elementary school playgrounds.
Non–profit organization Hope for Hall is teaming up with Hall County to help fundraise in order to bring inclusive playgrounds to elementary schools in the Hall County school system.
There are over 3,500 students enrolled in the Hall County school system who have a disability. Founder of Hope for Hall Caroline Filchak spoke on WDUN's Mornings on Maine Street, where she explained that the organization aims to help serve those students -- starting with inclusive playgrounds.
“Our mission is to normalize disability through play education and technology,” Filchak said. “Right now, our big focus is on the play piece of our mission and building and advocating for inclusive playgrounds.”
Wauka Mountain is set to be the first Hall County elementary school to get a playground makeover. The proposed rendering of the space includes wheelchair-accessible equipment, such as a Roll-On-Merry-Go-Round, wheelchair-accessible swings and a maze that will feature the Braille alphabet, the American Sign Language alphabet, and biographies about Helen Keller and Louis Braille. The playground will also include areas for sensory play and a no-transfer swing.
Filchak explained she was inspired by her daughter Hope, from whom the organization gets its name, to advocate for inclusive spaces.
“I have two children, I have a typically-developing four-year-old, and I have a two-year-old, Hope," she said. “She was born with a rare genetic syndrome that has caused her multiple disabilities.”
When Filchak learned that her daughter would be unable to walk during a doctor's appointment, she began to look at the world differently.
“I've been running at Wauka Mountain track for 20 years. We live right around the corner, and that's where both my children will go to school. So after that appointment, I was over at the track running, and the only things to look at [on] the track were the ball field and the playground. And so on this particular day, I was looking at the playground, and I was thinking, ‘If my child is not able to walk, how is she going to play on this playground with her typically developing brother?’” She explained. “And while the playground is accessible -- there's no challenge to entry -- it's not an inclusive playground where they can actually play alongside together. That lit a fire in me. I wanted to do something about it. I wanted to create a space where all children belong, and they're worthy, and they can play together with their friends.”
Filchak emphasized the difference between making a place accessible and making it inclusive. She said accessibility and inclusivity are not synonymous.
“‘Accessible’ is the ADA minimum standard, where you can access the playground without challenge," Filchak explained. "But then the question is, what are these children going to do once they're on the playground?”
The fundraising goal to install the new playground at Wauka Mountain is close to $800,000. The organization is asking for donations from the community to support Hope for Hall’s mission
“I know it sounds like a lot, but I also know our community and I know our community's heart,” Filchak commented. “And I know that people are excited about this and they believe what we believe -- that all children are worthy. All children belong and all children need a place to play with their friends.”
To learn more about Hope for Hall and its mission, visit https://www.hopeforhall.com/ . You can listen to the full Mornings on Maine Street interview by clicking the link above.
