By Esther Baxter
I never really thought much about accessibility until I had to. (That's probably bad to admit).
It just was never something I'd experienced, so it wasn't something I saw.
Then, my child was the one left watching from the side lines because the playground wasn’t accessible. He would sit on my lap and watch, or sit in the dirt and play with sticks, while his sister learnt to master the monkey bars.
It wasn't until I started touring day cares, that I realised how many schools and day cares weren’t set up to support kids like mine.
Until I found myself constantly checking if a public space had ramps, flat surfaces, quiet areas, or even just enough room for a pram to pass through.
Have you ever considered how difficult it is to walk on uneven terrain when you've got mobility issues?
The thing is, inclusion isn’t just about making sure disabled people can exist in a space, because that's easy.
You can exist in a space and still not use it.
it’s about making sure they can truly be part of it, that they can use it, enjoy it, benefit from it. And right now, that’s still not the reality in a lot of places.
Often, even if accessible features are available, they're broken or missing parts, or not in service.
They're covered in graffiti, broken glass, or in one horrific case at my local park - used condoms.
Playgrounds should be for every child.
Public spaces should be for every person.
Every parent knows the joy of watching their child run, climb, and play freely.
But when your child has additional needs, you quickly realise how many playgrounds aren’t designed with them in mind.
Swings with high sides and harnesses? Rare. It's even more rare that the harness isn't broken in some way.
Ramps up to play structures? Almost non-existent.
Soft, even surfaces instead of bark or sand? Good luck.
You should see my son light up when he actually can access a playground. When he can play with his sister, like all the other families are doing.
The difference is night and day. When they’re not stuck on the side lines, they can be a kid, joining in, making friends, and experiencing the simple joy of play.
And it’s not just disabled kids who benefit. Inclusive playgrounds create spaces where all kids can play together, where they learn from each other, and where no one is left out.
Because we're isolated too. The parents, siblings and guardians of disabled kids.
When our child is limited by where they can go, or what they can do, those limits extend to us as well.
Finding the right school or day care is stressful for any parent, but when you have a child with a disability, who is medically complex, it’s a whole new level of hard.
The never ending questions, the anxiety…
Will the staff understand their needs? Will they have access to the right support? Will they be included in activities, or just placed on the outskirts?
Too often, kids with disabilities are expected to “fit in” rather than having the environment adapt to them.
It's like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
The schools are underfunded. The teachers are overworked. The cracks are growing, splitting wider and wider until vast canyons form; on one side - the “normal* children. Children who are healthy, who don't have physical or cognitive disabilities.
On the other side - the other children. The sick kids. The disabled kids. The kids who are left behind.
Real inclusion means recognising that every child learns differently, moves differently, and interacts with the world in their own way, in their own time, and that’s not a problem to be “fixed.”
It’s something to be embraced. It's something to work with, and work around.
Then there are the everyday places, the places you go to all the time, to the point it's mundane. Shopping centres, libraries, parks, café. So many spaces that should be easy to access but aren’t.
Even footpaths can create issues.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to carry equipment up stairs because there was no ramp or lift, or how often I’ve had to leave a crowded place because there was nowhere quiet to go.
The frustrating thing is that accessibility doesn’t just help disabled people. It helps parents with prams, older adults, anyone who’s ever had an injury or temporary mobility issue. It makes life easier for everyone. So why is it still treated as an afterthought? Why do I have to fight with my local council to make things accessible, to make them fair?
None of this is impossible. I'm not asking for the moon.
We can have playgrounds where every child can play.
Schools where all kids get the support they need.
Public spaces where no one is excluded.
But for that to happen, we need to start listening to disabled people. We need councils, businesses, and schools to prioritise accessibility from the start.
We need the government, whatever party you support, to actually give a damn. To look past the problem and see a solution, not just dump it in the “too hard” basket, or leave it for the next person to deal with.
I don't want people with disabilities to be seen as just a last-minute “adaptation.”
I need more people - yes you - to speak up when spaces aren’t accessible, because inclusion isn’t just a disability issue, it’s a
community issue.
No one should have to fight just to belong.
© 2025 Esther Baxter