GREENSBURG, Ind. — The City of Greensburg, Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA), the Decatur County Parks Department, and the Greensburg Inclusion Park Committee broke ground recently on Indiana’s first all-inclusive playscape. The Building Bridges Inclusion Park is a universally designed, sensory-rich environment that enables all children to develop physically, socially, and emotionally. In an inclusive playscape, children of all abilities can interact with each other and do what all kids want to do; play.
The idea of establishing an inclusion park in Greensburg came to former Greensburg Police Chief and current Greensburg Community School Corporation Public Safety Director Brendan Bridges in 2019. Bridges took his nonverbal and autistic son, Jaxon, to Ohio to visit an inclusion park because finding a way to release energy while keeping him entertained can be difficult. While there, Jaxon interacted with other children and played on the inclusive equipment for hours. That never happened at a traditional-style playground.
After returning from the park, Bridges approached then-Greensburg Mayor Dan Manus and requested to establish an inclusive playground in Greensburg. The project was formally announced in 2020 with further support from current Mayor Joshua Marsh and the Greensburg City Council.
Inclusion parks offer communities a different kind of space for children of all intellectual and physical abilities to come together and play. The study of play shows us that playing helps children develop necessary skills, such as social and cognitive skills. Having a unique and safe place to allow children to grow and interact with each other can be a bright spot in a community.
More information on the project can be found by visiting https://
