Mulheim.
The association wants to build Mülheim’s first inclusive playground. We asked a family with a disabled child what that would mean for them.
“For me, the thing is already in place.” Bernd Nierhaus, better known as Rolli Rocker, is, as always, the personification of confidence. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a companion dog for a disabled child or a vacation trip for a mother with cancer and her children. But this time, the man from Mülheim has big plans: he wants to rebuild an entire playground. The complex on Aktienstraße with more than 500 square meters of play area is to become the city’s first inclusive playground, for example with a swing for wheelchairs, a ground-level carousel or an inclusive climbing wall. Cost point according to his estimation: around 300,000 euros.
“I have already spoken to the mayor and the building inspectorate. But the project is still in its infancy,” says Bernd Nierhaus, whose association Rolli Rockers Sprösslinge is known for mobilizing unbureaucratic help for people in need. “But I’ve noticed that we can’t avoid the bureaucracy this time. That will be a big task.”
“We don’t want separate playgrounds for disabled people”
In this matter, Bernd Nierhaus could become a pioneer in the region. There are hardly any inclusive playgrounds in Germany that also cater to the needs of the mentally and physically handicapped. In the state capital Düsseldorf there is currently an inclusive play area, a wheelchair carousel in the Nordpark. But a barrier-free device does not make an inclusive playground. This is regulated, among other things, in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which has enshrined a right to participation since 2009 – including in leisure activities. “Inclusion means enabling togetherness. We don’t want separate playgrounds for the disabled, but a playground where everyone can play according to their abilities,” says Janine Willrich, daughter of Rolli Rocker and chairwoman of the association.
But what does it actually mean to go to the playground with a disabled child? Andreas Holzinger sums it up in one sentence: “It’s often quite simply sad, because above all you see what’s not possible with your own child.” The Essen native is the father of little Mika (3), who suffered from complications in the womb suffered severe brain damage. Mika cannot hold herself upright, cannot grasp anything and needs constant support. The three-year-old can only use two pieces of equipment on the playground: the baby swing and the turntable.
Mülheim sponsors should already be ready
“Looks like the baby swing is where I need to get my four foot child in without hurting him. I hold his hands and make sure he doesn’t hit the metal frame as he swings. It’s pure stress,” explains the father. Many parents with developmentally disabled, mentally handicapped and autistic children are familiar with such situations, who often have reduced body tension or sensory peculiarities and are not able to hold themselves up well. “There is play equipment that is padded, but it has its price,” says the father. A small, inclusive piece of play equipment quickly costs 20,000 euros and more. “But you have to start somewhere. If only one of five pieces of play equipment was included, many would be helped.”
Bernd Nierhaus has decided to make the inclusive playground his personal project as long as his health allows. 300,000 euros is a proud sum, but the man, who is in a wheelchair himself, has already asked his usual partners and found open ears everywhere. Now he is hoping for support from the city and state grants.
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