Last week, the Marblehead Family Fund and The Power of Speech teamed up to install communication boards throughout the town’s playgrounds.
Boards were implemented at Hobbs, Gatchell, Seaside, Bud Orne, Devereux and Stramski playgrounds. Each includes a series of colorful pictures relevant to playground activities, such as going to play on the slide or swings, making it easier for children who communicate in different ways to connect with one another.
“The key thing around them is that they demonstrate another tool for people who need different ways of communicating, whether that’s spoken words or sign language,” Co-chair of the Marblehead Family Fund Kristine Quirke said.
The town’s Recreation and Parks Department helped install the boards at each playground. Quirke added that communication boards are becoming more prevalent in school playgrounds across the state and the country, and that they help to create a more inclusive environment.
“It’s also a really great learning opportunity just to learn that people communicate in different ways,” Quirke said. “It’s around acceptance and inclusion.”
The idea came to fruition after Power of Speech owner, Jessica Brown, a local speech-language pathologist, reached out to Quirke about adding communication boards to the parks.
The Family Fund also recently completed a project at Hobbs playground, making equipment more accessible for children in wheelchairs. With these recent additions to the town’s playgrounds, the door has been opened to continue making a more inclusive and accessible environment for kids in the community.
“Now in all of these playgrounds, it’s a great symbol and a sign of ‘this is a place of acceptance and inclusion,’” Quirke said.