NO KIDS LEFT BEHIND

Designed to accommodate visitors of all ages and ability levels, Peyton Parker Lane Playground builds deep connections across the community of York, Nebraska and beyond.

The playground was spearheaded by families who have experienced the importance of inclusion firsthand, and features many of the inclusive products that have been created through our partnership with Unlimited Play; a non-profit dedicated to helping communities plan, design, and build fully accessible playgrounds.

Such pieces include the Rail-Rider, which provides a motion play experience as kids zip from start to end, and the Quiet Grove, which creates a soothing space where anyone overwhelmed by the activity of the playground can go to destress before rejoining the fun. Sensory events are also located throughout the play space, with equipment such as Concerto and Roller Slide providing auditory and tactile experiences for all to enjoy.

“It’s a place that everybody belongs,” said Julie Hoffman, Project Manager at Unlimited Play and mother of Peyton and Parker Hoffman. “Everybody has a place here, and friendships can be cultivated that might not otherwise be cultivated.”

But it doesn’t end at the equipment—the playground’s design takes inclusion a step further by facilitating opportunities for parallel play, which not only allows kids of differing ability levels to play with one another, but caregivers as well.

“You’re inviting everyone in your community to be a part of something,” said Hoffman. “And you’re showing your community that you value everyone. From the veteran with a prosthetic leg to a mother in a wheelchair who wants to play with her kids.”

The playground has had an impact on the whole of Nebraska, drawing in families from across the state to experience the fun and growth of play with one another in ways they haven’t been able to before.

“I hope families that come here get to experience what ‘normal’ families get to experience every time they go somewhere,” said April McDaniel, mother of Lane McDaniel. “That’s a feeling of belonging. It’s a feeling of joy, and it’s a feeling of not having to leave someone behind.”