A play space for the diff-abled

Infinity Park is the first of its kind park for disabled children in Chennai. The park is located at 4th Trust Link Road in San Thome behind AmmaUnavagam. This park is totally unique and unlike the usual children parks present in the city. The construction of the park is both colourful and exciting and is built in such a way that it helps the kids to navigate around the space and stimulates their sensory experience as they play.

KiliKili, a Bengaluru based NGO is a network of parents of children with disability and is the brain behind the idea.  This NGO aims to create play spaces that will be accessible to all children, regardless of their ability and also to lay the foundations of a more inclusive society, which does not discriminate or exclude on the basis of disability. The organisation has also helped to set up such park in other cities like Madurai, Mangalore, Mumbai and Nagpur. In Chennai, the corporation themselves have contributed on constructing the park.

KavithaKrishnamoorthy founder of the KiliKili NGO says, “The motive behind building this park was to give equal opportunity to play for the disabled children as well and we are also working with different corporations to repeat these projects in different places”.

The park has a herb garden, around which is a modified swing, merry go round, and a jungle gym and is also a safe space for all children both abled and differently abled kids to play and have fun. There’s also a basketball court constructed at a slightly lower level so children in wheelchairs can play.

KavithaKrishnamoorthy also mentions that many people from different places like authorities from Kanpur development and special schools from Puducherry have visited this park. Another unique feature of the park is that the residents around have actively engaged themselves in taking care of the park. Many people who have volunteered are senior citizens. So, every evening there are at least one or two people at the park to make sure that there is no vandalism. These people also take effort in taking care of the special children who visit the park and ensure that they are comfortable. There is an equal amount of investment done by the community.

There are volunteers at the park to help navigate the visually impaired and there are few places where the kids can hang out. Games like snakes and ladders and ludo are drawn out on the ground to play on.