By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
NO LONGER a dream but a reality, Livvi’s Place, can now be crossed off Casey councillor Amanda Stapledon’s wish list.
“It’s been a 20-year-old dream of mine to establish an inclusive play space in the City of Casey and I was on cloud nine on opening day – it was one of the best days of my life,” Cr Stapledon said.
Opened to a sea of children of all abilities on Sunday 13 September, Livvi’s Place means more to Cr Stapledon than just a playground.
“Often children with a disability miss out on playing with their family and friends because the infrastructure isn’t in place to cater for them and they’re left at home.
“For me this play space is about making things possible because the spirit to include everyone is there but the way the community is currently set up doesn’t always accommodate for children and people with disabilities,” Cr Stapledon explained.
Having personally experienced the exclusion of having an autistic child, Cr Stapledon said her 23-year-old son Pete would have gained a lot from a play space like Livvi’s.
“Pete and I were often excluded from so many things because I knew that he couldn’t attend because either he might hurt himself or others or he was just not welcome and that’s not the community we see today,” she said.
Dealing with her son Pete who also has a brain tumour, obsessive compulsive disorder, intellectual disabilities, epilepsy and challenging behaviours, Cr Stapledon said Livvi’s Place would have assisted in Pete’s social and emotional development.
“I had to teach Pete how to sit up, how to crawl, walk and how to do certain things because it didn’t come naturally and that’s why a playground like this can help with those skills – and we all know kids learn so well through play,” she said.
The $1.1 million play space brought about through public donations and fundraisers along with the City of Casey and the Touched by Olivia Foundation still has some finishing touches to come.
Cr Stapledon said she wants to see a sensory wall installed.
“For children who are tactile defensive and don’t like touching things, a sensory wall means they can feel different textures and learn different words about what they’re touching, for example spongy, soft, rough, spiky.
“These are the things you often take for granted when you have a child but when you have a child with a disability you have to step them through it,” Cr Stapledon said.
Along with a sensory wall, Cr Stapledon would like to see lights, acoustic equipment, such as musical instruments, and illustrated and written signage for each activity added to the space.
“The cost for Livvi’s Place was significant but if you were to build all playgrounds this way they’d be no more expensive than any other playground, they’d just be part and parcel of the way things are done.
“I think it’s important to limit the isolation and we know that isolation contributes to a huge amount of mental health issues and I don’t think it’s fair for a child not to get to play – it’s their birth right,” she said.
Proud and excited to bring her own son to the space for a play, Cr Stapledon hasn’t been able to wipe the smile off her face since the opening.
“Over the past seven years as a councillor the opening of Livvi’s Place has had to be my greatest joy.
“Parents said to me ‘we can’t believe you are considering kids with a disability’.
“It truly was the best day,” she said.
