No Obstacles
To Fun
Metro Detroit's Jewish
Assisted Living Community
FCC
Barrier-free playground takes shape in Waterford.
Chairwomen for the All Kids Playground groundbreaking event are Andrea Stone
and Beth Hirsch of West Bloomfield, Alicia Schwartz of Southfield and Liz Leshman
of Hunting-ton Woods.
DEBBIE WALLIS LANDAU
Special to the Jewish News
n
igh spirits and goodwill
prevailed over rain clouds
Oct. 14, when members of
the National Council of
Jewish Women Detroit Chapter broke
ground for their All Kids Playground
in Waterford's Hess-Hathaway Park.
Scheduled for completion in spring
2002, the playground will be the area's
first universally accessible playground.
"Our goal is to offer a place where
children of all abilities can play
together," says All Kids Playground
co-chair Judy Rosenberg of
Birmingham.
The event was coordinated by
NCJW's Just 4 Kids committee, which
is working with Boundless
Playgrounds, a non-profit West
Hartford, Conn., company that helps
American communities plan and build
fully integrated, universally accessible
playgrounds.
The playground will not just be bar-
rier-free, but be an aesthetically pleas-
ing component of a park that current-
ly houses Lone Cedar Farms, and will
soon boast a children's garden.
At the groundbreaking, children and
adults saw farm animals, enjoyed face
painting, a moonwalk and snacks.
Central to the event was a disability
awareness workshop. Whether don-
ning a headpointer, using a wheelchair
or trying on one of five different pairs
of goggles that simulated sight impair-
ments such as color blindness, low
vision or glaucoma, visitors had the
opportunity to learn about numerous
pieces of adaptive equipment manu-
factured for individuals living with
sensory difficulties.
Oakland Public Schools' Lisa
Kowalski, a Rochester resident and
member of its Parent Advisory
Committee, co-authored the disability
workshop after finding a scarcity of
such materials for parents of disabled
students. Kowalski has a son with
autism. The workshops are run by par-
ent volunteers in 15 Oakland County
elementary schools.
Kowalski installed the nine work-
shop stations with NCJW member
Barbara Tukel of West Bloomfield.
Tukel recently retired from teaching
special education.
NCJW's local president Linda
Bloom says, "There are more than five
million children in the United States
with some type of disability, and they
are usually not afforded the play
opportunities others take for granted.
We think the All Kids Playground will
quickly become a popular play spot
for all children, regardless of their abil-
ities."
Resident Betty Garland enjoys Shabbat dinner with three
generations. Left to right: granddaughter, Elayne Peters;
daughter, Phyllis Kramer, and great-grandson, Jeramy Peters.
Elan Village's monthly rate includes:
• 24 hour Personal Care Assistance
• Three Kosher Meals Daily
• Housekeeping and Personal Laundry
Services
• Social, Cultural and Educational
Programs Daily
• Shabbat and Holiday Services
• On-Site Licensed Nurse and
Medical Services
• MedicatiOrrkfarageriient
Reasonable Rates
Call today to schedule a tour
JANET ANTIN (248) 386-0303
26051 Lahser Road
Southfield, Michigan 48034
Elan Village provides
❑
Care that Changes with You
Preferred Provider of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
2001
39