All Ages, All Abilities, All the Time

Description

Parks today face the challenge of providing environments where all visitors can feel safe, secure and fully engaged.  Universal design increases usability, safety, health and social participation. In this presentation, participants will discover how applying the principles of universal design ultimately contribute to social equity and social sustainability in parks.

This presentation covers the goals of Universal Design to create park and recreation spaces that encourage health and wellness for individuals of all ages and abilities.  Participants will be provided with current data on how the world population is aging and encountering disabilities in all age groups. Participants will be provided with basic information on the principles of Universal Design. Practical examples of how this looks in park and recreation spaces will be provided based on real life projects.

Presenters

Jill Moore works with the Landscape Structures team to aid in product development and promote the importance of inclusive play. By traveling the country as a presenter, Jill speaks with all sorts of communities to teach best design practices to create parks and play spaces that invite all to join. She is especially proud of representing Team USA in wheelchair racing.

During her college career at the University of Illinois, Jill competed on two occasions representing the United States on a world stage. Through an active life, Jill constantly strives to not only employ a lifetime of experience, but to promote the importance of play as it truly shapes us all, and allows us to overcome some truly incredible things.

John McConkey serves as Market Research and Insights Manager at Landscape Structures. He brings over 15 years of experience in the healthcare field, and offers a unique perspective on inclusion, health, fitness and children’s play on the playground. John researches and tracks societal and industry trends to help create innovative design solutions. John develops and delivers IACET and LACES accredited continuing education programs throughout North America and internationally. The focus of his recent programs include playground universal design and inclusion, designing playgrounds to maximize physical activity, reconnecting children with nature, and designing literacy-rich play environments.

Objectives

At the end of this program, participants will:

1. Understand current definitions of disability as defined by environmental conditions

2. Identify the concepts of social equity and social sustainability and how they are supported by Universal Design

3. Illustrate each principle of universal design and how they contribute to a park design that goes beyond accessibility and encourages inclusion

This program is being offered at no cost thanks to a collaborative effort between ASLA Connecticut and partners M.E. O'Brien and Sons and Landscape Structures. Registered participants will receive a link to attend the webinar. Attendance will be taken during the webinar, and quizes will be emailed to confirmed attendees to take at their convenience. This session may be recorded for future viewing (decision pending).

This session is approved for .2 CEUs by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and 1.5 PDHs by LA CES.