AB 2241: School facilities: inclusive school playgrounds.

SECTION 1.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) Play is recognized by human rights authorities as a fundamental right for every child and is essential for physical, social, and cognitive development for disabled and nondisabled children alike. Playgrounds should enable children and adults of different abilities to play together, fostering integration, empathy, and learning. Inclusive playgrounds remove barriers and add accessibility features to ensure that children of all backgrounds, ages, and physical abilities play together without limitations.

(b) Federal standards mandate basic accessibility but do not ensure inclusive play features. Other jurisdictions have gone further. New Jersey’s Jake’s Law requires state agencies to adopt playground design regulations that exceed federal minimum standards and gives funding preference to fully inclusive playgrounds. The Province of Ontario requires that new public play spaces be designed through consultation with people with disabilities and include firm, level surfacing, accessible routes, and sensory play components. These models demonstrate effective approaches to ensure playgrounds truly serve individuals of all abilities.

(c) Globally, governments promote inclusive play. For example, Australia’s Everyone Can Play program funded over 140 inclusive playgrounds with government grants and published design guidelines; its stakeholder advisory group included disability advocates and planners. South Australia’s Inclusive Play guidelines were created by a working group of experts in disability, child development, sports and recreation, built environments, and families of children with disabilities. Such international efforts reflect best practices in multisector collaboration on play equity. Similarly, Nova Scotia’s new Accessibility Act standards will require all new parks and recreation facilities to be accessible. Even charitable initiatives, for example, Canada’s Jumpstart Program, have shown the impact of building barrier-free playgrounds to engage children of diverse abilities.

(d) Despite these successes elsewhere, many California playgrounds remain inaccessible or sensory-limited. To align with inclusive best practices and California’s civil rights values, there is a need for inclusive playground standards, a funding preference for inclusive play projects, and expert oversight to guide design and outreach led by a dedicated advisory committee of specialists that will ensure that California’s playgrounds meet modern universal-design goals and community needs, similar to advisory bodies used in other jurisdictions.