BOERNE, Texas – A visit to a local playground inspired a mother to spearhead a community effort to make the play areas at Boerne City Park more inclusive for children with disabilities, leading to significant renovations.
Brady Palacios remembers when she took her kids to the Boerne City Park playground, and her young daughter, Ammie, could not access the same play area as the other children. The mulch on the ground made it difficult for her to be pushed in her wheelchair, and there were no handicap-accessible swings.
“We actually used my infant’s car seat, put my infant on the ground, put Ammie in the car seat, and put her on the tire swing so that she could be swung,” Palacios said. “It was completely uncomfortable for her. But we did it. And that was whenever I realized, ‘Hey, ‘This isn’t OK.’”
After discovering the Boerne Parks Association, Palacios partnered with the organization to raise $150,000 to renovate the park.
The renovations started in early January and will be done sometime in February. The park will have a butterfly photo station, toddler musical instruments, an inclusive swing, and a buddy chair with Ammie’s name on it.
Ammie died at the age of 3. She would have been 5 years old now. Her mother says the grand opening of the park is bittersweet.
“There’s, like, a sadness that it wasn’t here earlier, but there’s so much joy and excitement that it is here in our community now,” Palacios said.
The Boerne Parks Association’s goal is to continue renovating other playgrounds and raise awareness about what ADA and inclusivity really mean.