Students play on a new accessible playground at the Kentucky School for the Blind in Louisville after a ribbon-cutting on Nov. 10. Photo by Wallace Caleb Bates, Nov. 10, 2022
A new accessible playground for students was unveiled at the Kentucky School for the Blind (KSB) in Louisville on Nov. 10.
The park was the idea of KSB 4th-grader Anthony Brettnacher, who was given the opportunity to work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation in 2018 after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He wanted a new park at KSB so he could play with his friends.
“I’m so excited,” Anthony said ahead of the ribbon-cutting for the park.
KSB Principal Peggy Sinclair-Morris credited Brettnacher’s mother, Cierra Martin, along with KSB Operations Manager John Morris and other KSB and Kentucky Department of Education officials with planning the playground and securing the dollars needed to build it.
“We’re just happy that now the kids have a place to come out and just to be kids,” said Sinclair-Morris.
Students enjoyed the new accessible playground at the Kentucky School for the Blind on Nov. 10. Photo by Wallace Caleb Bates, Kentucky Department of Education
The playground includes several features to make it more accessible for students at KSB: wheelchair ramps, chimes and a drum to provide auditory stimulation, an overhead shade to help students with albinism, climbing features, a slide, a group see-saw, and a rubberized surface to cushion any falls.
“We are beyond excited that we were able to do this for the school because (Anthony) is the most social kid and he just wants to play with his friends,” Martin said. “And now he has a playground that all of his friends can play on and access and we are just over the moon.”
The COVID-19 pandemic caused delays with the construction and inflation caused further issues with financing, but crews were finally able to break ground in August.
“I think everybody involved in the project is very relieved,” Sinclair-Morris said.
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