Harpers Playground.jpg

Harper's' Playground is accessible for all children. (Harpers Playground)

Two years after he helped create the city's first all-inclusive playground, Cody Goldberg says Portland-area parks still aren't accessible enough for children with disabilities.



Kids travel from all over Portland to play at Harper's Playground, the park Goldberg helped build in North Portland's Arbor Lodge Park. Now he wants to create similar playgrounds across the city.



Goldberg has begun raising money to open an inclusive playground in every Portland quadrant. His non-profit has already announced it will help raise money for accessible-for-all playgrounds in Northwest Portland's Couch Park and Northeast Portland's Gateway Park. They hope to open others in Southeast and Southwest Portland by 2020.

"We firmly believe that every single playground should be a Harper's Playground," Goldberg said. "Everybody deserves to play because play is so vital to learning, to social connection."



Cody and April Goldberg became disability advocates several years ago when their daughter Harper was born with Emanuel Syndrome, a rare disorder that causes severe developmental delays and weak muscle tone. Most who have it are unable to walk or talk.



Harper loved playgrounds, but she used a walking device that prohibited her from accessing slides or climbing on play structures. Cody Goldberg decided to build a playground that would work for Harper or any child.



Harper's Playground opened in 2012 with ramps that slope toward the slide so kids can scoot their way to the top. The state-of-the-art swings use comfortable restraints to ensure safety for those who can't use their arms or hands to hold on. Harper's Playground was one of the city's first to feature the Omni Spinner, a high-backed polyethylene take on the old merry-go-round. It has a built-in brake to limit how fast kids can go. It also has transfer points for wheelchairs or walkers.



The park has been a huge success, Goldberg said. An average of 100 kids, including Harper, now 9, play there daily. The Today Show filmed a segment at the park, prompting parents in Denver and Los Angeles to begin planning similar playgrounds.



"It's been mind-boggling to see how popular the design really is with kids of all abilities," Goldberg said. "It is packed, rain or shine, Monday through Sunday. People have traveled from Eugene, Salem and Astoria to play there. It's so heart-warming to see how much it's loved."





Kids play on the Omni Spinner in Harper's Playground. (Courtesy of Cody Goldberg)

Portland parks have become more accessible for children with disabilities. Last year, city officials began replacing merry-go-rounds at Columbia Park and Gammans Park with Omni Spinners and Supernova rings that allow kids to sit, stand or walk on a wide circle as it turns. And Washington Park's playground is 70 percent accessible.



Still, Goldberg is eager to bring all-accessible playgrounds to other neighborhoods. He admits the expansion will require a lot of work. Goldberg spent three years working to make Harper's Playground happen. The Timbers Army, the W. Glen Boyd Charitable Foundation and the University of Portland women's soccer team all pitched in to pay for the $1.2 million project.





Harper's Playground Fall Gala

What

: Drinks, dinner, silent auction and entertainment

Where

: Castaway, 1900 NW 18th in Portland

When

: Nov. 13, 6:30 p.m.

Tickets

: $300 for a couple (individual tickets sold out)

Voodoo Doughnut kicked off the fundraising for the expansion last weekend with the launch of its "playnut doughnut." A portion of November proceeds from sales of the "playnut" -- an eclair transformed by white icing, green sprinkles and chocolate bavarian cream -- will go toward the Harper's Playground nonprofit.



The Goldbergs also will host a fall gala Nov. 13 to raise money for the expansion. Erica Hill, anchor of NBC News's weekend Today, will host the event, and writer and performer AC Dickson will host the auction.



Goldberg said his next step is to begin working with neighbors living near Couch and Gateway parks to make sure they want the new facility. He wants residents to be an integral part of the design process so that the creation of the new playgrounds feels as inclusive as the finished products.

Portland Parks & Recreation representatives say they support Goldberg's efforts, assuming the public is on board with such endeavors. The Parks Bureau conducts extensive public involvement for new parks and facilities, and new play areas in Couch and Gateway Parks would undergo that vetting as well.



"It's certainly going to take a whole bunch of work and a whole bunch of luck," Goldberg said. "But because it's been so incredibly popular we're confident that everyone is going to want to see more of them."



As for Harper, she's a "happy little girl" who loves the new playground. But some things haven't changed, Goldberg said: "The swing remains her favorite."





-- Casey Parks