Freedom to Play

Sara Osipovich

Children with disabilities are often overlooked during times of play. The Blue Slide Project is a local organization created specifically to construct the first wheelchair-accessible playground in Grants Pass of Josephine County. The purpose of raising awareness and funds for the Blue Slide Project was to create a community setting where all children could experience the simple joys of play and companionship, free of restriction. During my time with the Blue Slide Project, I organized and hosted a large open-air market fundraiser. I created the Spring Jumble Sale to raise money for the completion of the boundary-free playground. As a result of this project, I learned that building a playground where every child had the freedom to play was a venture close to the hearts of many within the local community as well as my own. Constructing a wheelchair-accessible playground provides every child the opportunity to forge lasting memories. Subsequently, constructing a boundary-free playground provides a place where people of all ages and abilities can engage in play and camaraderie together.