An energetic group of city planners, landscape architects, and park maintenance professionals gathered this week at San Jose’s City Hall to attend a seminar sponsored by Ross Recreation Equipment Company and conducted by Landscape Structures’ Inclusive Play Specialist, John McConkey. Over the past 10 years, John has played a lead role in developing design theory and practical solutions for outdoor Inclusive Play environments. Seminar participants exchanged ideas and learned that properly designed playgrounds can provide similar practical benefits to accepted therapy protocols for children with autism and other sensory processing disorders. With the alarming and dramatic increase in autism among children in the US and other countries, playgrounds can serve yet another valuable role in our communities. Stay tuned for future seminars that focus on playground maintenance.
