Haliburton County unveils ‘an exciting addition to our community’ installed in area parks
Communication boards promote inclusion and accessibility for people with speech and reading difficulties
The County of Haliburton is aiming to make play more accessible to all residents and park visitors with the installation of communication boards in county parks.
The county announced on Tuesday (December 10) that it has installed the first augmentative and alternative communication (ACC) boards at Head Lake Park and at Rotary Beach Park in Haliburton.
The move targets ensuring that people of all abilities can enjoy meaningful communication and social interaction together, a media release from the county noted.
Haliburton County warden Liz Danielsen told kawarthaNOW the new boards are a feature that have been discussed and desired for a few years, and an initiative that will benefit residents and others who use the parks.
“The newly created communication board will truly enhance accessibility for those with speech and reading disabilities and are an exciting addition to our community,” Danielsen said.
“The idea was raised during brainstorming discussions by the county’s accessibility committee several years by a member and have finally come to fruition,” she said about the impetus for the project.
The communication boards are strategically placed in the playgrounds and feature a range of picture communication symbols — images and words — that allow people to communicate their needs, wants and ideas, or to simply play and engage in creative games.
In addition to providing people of all abilities with more opportunities in county parks, the boards are also a tool aimed at promoting inclusion and raising awareness and education of complex communication needs, as well as augmentative and alternative communication, the county noted.
“Communication boards highlight the importance of accessibility and inclusion in our county for all residents, including people who communicate in a variety of ways,” Danielsen, who is also mayor of Algonquin Highlands, stated.
Haliburton company MacArt Studios created the layout and production of Haliburton County’s playground communication board in collaboration with municipal staff, and with feedback from area residents, the county’s joint accessibility committee, speech language pathologists and occupational therapists, along with caregivers, organizations and agencies that support people with communication challenges.
The first county-funded communication board was installed in the fall in Head Lake Park.
Then, through federal and provincial funding from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, a second board was installed by the Municipality of Dysart et al at Rotary Beach Park.
“This project reflects our ongoing dedication to accessibility and community-building and I am proud to see it come to life,” said Walt McKechnie, deputy mayor of Dysart et al, and member of the County of Haliburton joint accessibility committee.
The joint accessibility committee plans to expand the initiative to additional playgrounds across the county in 2025, “continuing its commitment to working toward a barrier-free community where all people have equal opportunity to live, visit, raise a family, work, and retire.”
For more information about the county’s joint accessibility committee communication board project, visit www.haliburtoncounty.ca/communication-boards/.
By Natalie Hamilton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
