Never Take A Park For Granted.

I came across the picture below last night,and initially I looked and then carried on with what I was doing, but something made me go back onto Blackberry Messenger and find the contact who had it up.

We as parents can take things for granted cant we? A trip to the park is an easy way to keep children entertained for an hour or even more and it's also free. Not once until I saw this photo last night, have I ever thought about parks for the physically disabled and not once ever, I mean I've never seen a physically disabled child or adult in a park, and it's never something that crossed my mind. In my family, we have Mentally Disabled children, ADHD and Autism, but that doesn't stop the children going to the park at all, or to go to theme parks or to be frank, anywhere really does it. I mean they might be a bit unsettled and to people that don't know the situation they must think they are really naughty children, but they are not restricted like Physically Disabled children are in any way are they?

This picture has really made me think lots over the last 20 hours since first discovering this photo, maybe its getting passed around because of the start of the London 2012 Paralympics starting today, or maybe its something that should be spoken about not just during the Paralympics but all the time, I think we should all pull together and try and have at least 2 of these in every town!

When  Spud was around 6 months old, I joined the local Youth Parliament team, I wrote a few features for Youth Parliament sites and carried on with the role of a Youth Parliament team member for a few months before realising my views were too strong, so I have worked with petitions before. Although I was around the same age as the other youth member's I had to grow up quickly to be able to mother Spud and give him the best in life.

Anyway to get back on the subject of the picture, I am disgusted with today's government they all really do annoy me, why isn't their wheelchair friendly parks? There certainly isn't one in Reading, the town I come from. Something really need's to be done, if anyone out there is into politics please do contact me, I feel a petition coming on. 

As parents we don't think twice about taking our children to the park, or the fair. For the parents of Physically Disabled children it must be horrid to see other children being able to do these things we take for granted so often and so easily. I personally don't know any Physically Disabled children out there, but I would love to help get some parks suitable for them around.

As I said I don't know anyone in the situation but I can imagine the littlest of task have to be really planned to make sure they are accessible.Next time I go to the park with Spud, I shall remember the children who can't do such a thing so easy. So next time Spud start's when he doesn't want to leave, I have a real life story to tell him, and to let him know a little bit more about the other people in the world who can't access things as easily as we take them for granted.

What I want to know is, has anyone seen any wheelchair accessible park's in their area? I must admit I have not done any research into this picture or for the matter wheelchair accessible park's. I'd love to know others views on this subject!

Until next time,
Jada x