The above is how our playground would look like from an aerial view. The playground elements are chosen to cater to the blind.

The playground's flooring will be soft material like rubber so should a blind child accidentally fall his impact is cushioned by the soft flooring. Also, it would have braille markings on the floor so as to guide them through the playground. Our playground is not a one-way layout where there is only one route, it's free for the blind to roam around. Therefore the braille markings can indicate to them whether there is a tunnel or an automated ride or whatever ahead.

The fountain:
When they first walk in through the playground gates, the first thing that they meet is the fountain, which is smacked right in the middle of the playground. Its purpose is to guide the blind to the centre of the playground should they get lost, as they can hear the gushing waters of the fountain which symbolises the rushing river which Jess and Leslie have to swing across.

The plan:
Situated just beside the fountain is the playground plan. As they are unable to see what the playground might look like, the floor plan would be in 3D for them to feel. Instead of just drawings on a sheet, it will be 3D scale models of the rides in the map, so they can "see" what the playground looks like, by using their fingertips.

The rocking chairs:
To the right of the playground are these rocking chairs for the blind to sit in and rock back and forth. We thought that the moving motion would excite them as blind people have no idea where they're going, so their movement is limited. With the rocking chairs, they can go fast rocking back and forth, and might help them experience fast motion without the risk of banging into something.

The Treehouse Ride:
The treehouse ride is situated to the north of the rocking chairs. It is a giant automated ride, designed in the shape of a tree, or the treehouse which represents Terabithia. The ride would have the blind child stand on feet holders similar to bicycle pedals or bedroom slippers. They would hold poles which would stretch to the top of the ride, which will be moving the blind child holding onto the pole. The ride would not just be moving them in a straight line, and at slow speeds. Instead, it there would be ups and downs along the ride, so they are holding on to the poles for dear life. The ride would sometimes be fast, at other times be slow. It is to symbolise Jess and Leslis swinging back and forth into Terabithia. Except they are going forward , and maybe when there is a drop the ride would go a little faster, re-enacting a swinging motion. Their feet are securely in the feet holder, so they might not fall over during the ride. The ride then ends at the point to the left of the ride's starting point, and an automated voice would alert the rider to get off the ride, or to alert the next person waiting in line that the ride is empty and can be boarded.

The tunnel and the pit of balls:
The tunnel is to the north of the fountain, and can be entered by a ramp which leads upwards into the tunnel. The interior of the tunnel would be of different textures instead of the usual plastic tunnels found in HDB playgrounds. This gives the blind person a way to feel around the tunnel. Also, their sense of hearing is encouraged as sounds such as voices or laughter would be amplified in the enclosed area of the tunnel. The blind would not know where they are going as they're just crawling through a tunnel, and that raises a sense of adventure in each individual, similar to Jess' and Leslie's adventurous attitude. They would be crawling through the tunnel, unaware of what lays ahead when suddenly -BAM- they would find themself sliding down a slide, and plunging into a pit of soft rubber balls. It symbolises Leslie falling into the water, when she must have been caught unaware when the rope broke and sent her into the waters beneath. The small soft rubber balls would cushion the impact, and would be fun to play around. Finally the children will find their way around and find the exit of the pit.

The Imagination Corner:
This a corner where they would sit down and draw whatever they want, and is just to the left of the fountain. They could draw anything they wanted, and let rip their imagination. It symbolises Jess' love for drawing. Jess would draw imaginary things, and the blind can do just that. They would sit down on the many chairs that adorn the long table, and just doodle about whatever they wanted. Jess' love for drawing hopefully will be passed on to the blind, and they need not care about however ugly other people would think their picture is. The pictures can be pasted on the walls or the fences, to show the world how the blind sees it.


Braille cell structure

.1 .2
.3 .4
.5 .6

Alphabet braille

a-1
b-1,2
c-1,4
d-1,4,5
e-1,5
f-1,2,4
g-1,2,4,5
h-1,2,5
i-2,4
j-2,4,5
k-1,3
l-1,2,3
m-1,3,4
n-1,3,4,5
o-1,3,5
p-1,2,3,4
q-1,2,3,4,5
r-1,2,3,5
s-2,3,4
t-2,3,4,5
u-1,3,6
v-1,2,3,6
w-2,4,5,6
x-1,4,3,6
y-1,3,4,5,6
z-1,3,5,6

examples:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
p l a y g r o u n d



THE SPECIFIC DOT HEIGHT IS :0.02 INCHES(0.5MM)
HORIZONTAL,VERTICAL SPACING BETWEEN DOTS: 0.1INCHES(2.5MM)
SPACING BETWEEN ADJACENT CELLS: O.15INCHES(3.75MM)
HORIZONTALLY, VERTICALLY: 0.2INCHES(5.0MM)
BRAILLE PAGE MAXIMUM HAS 40.43 CELLS PER LINE AND 25 LINES


Blind People have better smelling ,touching, hearing senses better than normal people. Studies shows that the blind's other senses are not more actue, but they can learn some amazing skills to compensate, like echolocation. Evidene that by the age of 13 blind children had developed superior tactile strategies than sighted children. Blind children are making better use of their senses of hearing, not that their senses of hearing is ramped up to compensate for lack of sight.



The PlayGround have speakers around to guide the Blind Childrens , so that they will feel more safe in the playground. Etc: When they are lost they will be a little worried and sometimes even panic. the speakers aloud will tell them where they are.


The colours in this largely metal playground is really diverse and nice. Though sadly, the blind wouldn't be able to see the colours. There are too many health hazards around.

For one, a blind person wouldn't know where to walk and might just stumble out of the playground. A fence should be erected around the premises. Also, they might walk right into a metal pole or knock their heads on low lying surfaces.

Should they manage to climb up the ladders onto the second level, they might fall down if they are not careful. The floor of the playground should be a soft material to cushion the impact.

I think this playground is really elaborate and cool. And it makes use of different surfaces. Its more like an adventure playground or a maze, where they have to navigate the series of tunnels and slides. So its fun.

Its definitely safe too, as there are cushion mats at the bottom, and at raised platforms there are mesh coverings or bamboo barriers to prevent children going over the edge, especially the blind.

One thing i don't really like about this playground is its compactness. Everything feels very tight, and that means everyone has to be constantly moving so as not to bump into one another or lag the rest. Even though they're blind, i think that it should be spaced out a little, as they do not need to rush things through but instead can take time to "see" the playground through touching.

"The greatest tragedy in life is people who have sight, but no vision."

---Helen Keller

H'ello.

We're creating a playground for the visually impaired children. We believe that every kid has a chance to have fun. Fun at a playground. To play and feel normal. Even if their world is perpetually in darkness. We're gonna give them that.


Visually Impaired/Blind -

So take one word you said.
You put it in your bed, you rest your tiny head on your pillow.
You wonder where you're going next, you got your head pushed to my chest.
And now you're hoping, that someone lets you in.
Well I'll sure let you in, you know I'll let you in.
Oh Kelsey, you.


I nearly forgot. Janice, Denise, Jia Hui, Sofyan and Isaac are our names, and Literature is our game. You're here now, do stay and look around. I've made my speech so now I'll shut up.