The park I chose to do an assessment on is called Birunthan Park and is located in Scarborough.

This park is located right in front of an elementary school and in the middle of a very large

neighborhood which allows for easy traveling access. I grew up going to this park everyday and

making many fun memories, however, analyzing it in a new perspective has allowed me to see

the many flaws it contains. When I was younger, I used to think this was a great park for

everyone because there were two separate parks for both older and younger children. I now

realize that those are not the only two categories of children society should accommodate. This

park has many physical barriers and is not accessible at all for children with disabilities for a

plethora of reasons. The ground of the park is covered in wood chips which makes it very

difficult to travel or play for a child using a wheelchair. Both sets of swings are not adjustable. I

remember when I was younger, I was too big to fit in the baby swing and too small to sit on the

regular swings with my feet touching the ground. The park also does not have any ramps and the

only two ways to get on top of the playground is by climbing the stairs or rock climbing wall

which can be challenging for children with physical disabilities. This park only has two pieces of

signage, one states the name and address of the park and other one says “This is an unsupervised

play structure. Adult supervision is recommended.” These two signs provided are only written in

English. Any message or sign should be translated into Braille as well for those communicating

in using this reading and writing system to understand. This is a cultural barrier as these signs do

not communicate or promote inclusivity in any way. The lack of inclusivity towards children

with disabilities built into this playground is noticeable in plain sight; however, it is only a

concern to people when it directly impacts their lives.

Additionally, this park was named after an elementary school boy named Birunthan who

heroically died while trying to save the life of his friend who had drowned after falling through

thin ice. However, there are no signs or pictures to commemorate his courageous actions and tell

his story.