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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 30, 2023 05:33 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Tarik Khan and Rep. Jamie L. Flick, Rep. Melissa Cerrato, Rep. Liz Hanbidge |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Improving Playground Accessibility |
| Play is crucial to a child’s physical, social, cognitive, and emotional development. Unfortunately, research shows that children with disabilities tend to be excluded from some forms of play because of structural barriers in typical playgrounds. Some areas of the state have recognized the importance of inclusive play by prioritizing accessibility in their recreation policy and funding initiatives. For instance, Philadelphia’s city council passed a bill in 2016 that led to more than a dozen playgrounds receiving accessibility upgrades, including sensory play equipment, adaptations for blind and visually impaired individuals, and apparatuses for wheelchair users. We can replicate this success throughout the rest of Pennsylvania, which is why we plan to introduce legislation requiring our state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to prioritize grant funding to park and recreation construction projects that establish or upgrade playgrounds for the inclusion of children with disabilities. By following Philadelphia’s lead in prioritizing accessibility, we can ensure that all children have what the United Nations has identified as the right to engage in play. Children with disabilities and their families have been shut out of play opportunities for far too long. Please join us in correcting this by signing on to this long overdue proposal. |
Introduced as HB1173