Designing Inclusive Playgrounds And Workplaces For Neurodivergent Communities (Episode 369)

Designing Inclusive Playgrounds And Workplaces For Neurodivergent Communities (Episode 369)

Play shouldn’t require a workaround. We unpack how everyday design choices—like long stretches of mulch, narrow steps, and heat-heavy lighting—quietly exclude many kids and adults, then map out simple, evidence-based changes that open the gate to everyone. From wheelchair-safe surfacing to adaptive swing seats and clear approach paths, we show how inclusion starts well before anyone reaches the slide. Along the way, we get personal about sensory needs and why certain lights raise anxiety not because of brightness alone, but because of the heat they emit, turning a public space into a place you can’t stay.

We also look beyond the park. Inclusive thinking belongs in workplaces and community rooms: adjustable, low-glare lighting, acoustic treatment that lowers noise fatigue, quiet nooks for recovery, and flexible policies that honor different ways of focusing and communicating. When architects, planners, and employers design for the edge cases—mobility, sensory sensitivity, and caregiver logistics—everyone benefits. The chain of access matters: transportation with secure tie-downs, curb cuts that actually align with entrances, and parking that connects to firm, level paths make a world of difference.

This conversation is an invitation to act locally and think systemically. If you’re on a planning board, advocate for poured-in-place rubber or other firm surfacing and adaptive equipment. If you lead a team, build sensory-friendly options into the office and give people choice in how they work. And if you use these spaces, tell us what helps and what still gets in the way. Subscribe, share this episode with someone who cares about accessibility, and leave a review with one barrier you want your community to fix next. Your voice can shape the next playground, the next office, and the next welcome.

Chapter Markers

0:00 Welcome And Gratitude

0:40 Setting The Agenda: Inclusion

0:58 What Inclusive Play Really Means

3:26 The Mulch Problem And Mobility

5:36 Safety And Accessible Swings

9:08 Defining Neurodivergency Practically

13:17 Sensory Sensitivity And Lighting

19:06 Being Different Without Excuses

23:17 Childhood Play And Equal Access

27:01 Barriers, Caregivers, And Comfort

#InclusiveDesign #Neurodiversity #AccessiblePlaygrounds #WorkplaceInclusion #PlaygroundDesign #AdaptiveSpaces #NeurodivergentFriendly #CommunityBuilding #SensoryFriendly #UniversalDesignPrinciples #EmpowermentThroughDesign #InclusiveWorkplaces #CreativePlaySpaces #CognitiveDiversityAwareness #SupportNeurodiversity #justiceforsurvivors #VoicesforVoices #VoicesforVoicesPodcast #JustinAlanHayes #JustinHayes #help3billion #TikTok #Instagram #truth #Jesusaire #VoiceForChange #HealingTogether #VoicesForVoices369

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Gratitude
• 0:40 Setting The Agenda: Inclusion
• 0:58 What Inclusive Play Really Means
• 3:26 The Mulch Problem And Mobility
• 5:36 Safety And Accessible Swings
• 9:08 Defining Neurodivergency Practically
• 13:17 Sensory Sensitivity And Lighting
• 19:06 Being Different Without Excuses
• 23:17 Childhood Play And Equal Access
• 27:01 Barriers, Caregivers, And Comfort

Transcript

Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: 0:02

Hey everyone, it's Justin here, Voices for Voices. Thank you so much for joining us. Whether you're near, whether you're far, uh, whether you're watching, whether you're listening, whether this is your first episode, or if you've been with us from the beginning, we are grateful for your time uh to spend with us. And but we are uh just really uh really grateful for this whole year uh in all of you and want to uh say God bless you uh wherever you are in the United States or across the world. Thank you for joining us. This episode we're gonna be talking about a little bit about uh neurodivergency, uh inclusive workspaces and inclusive play. Um I'm gonna start off by talking about inclusive play. When we think of a uh when we think of a playground, right? We think of mulch, we think of uh, you know, uh monkey bars, uh slides, swings, uh some have zip line, uh just a lot of different a lot of different ways to uh to play. And for the individuals who aren't neurodivergent, and we'll we'll get in and talk about what what that what that really means, not the Wikipedia definition, just what that what that means. And so what that means is there are individuals like you and I and others who we play a little bit different. We need I use the word accommodation, but not using it lightly, I'm not using it as a crutch. I'm using it as as what it what it really is, and to be neurodivergent, that just means we're a little bit uh we're all human, uh, but there are are ways and and and things that the way we play need a little bit of change in the historical way of play, as I mentioned with the mulch and the the swings. It all in the past has come down to the assumption that we're all able to walk, we're all able to maneuver through mulch, right? Uh that we're able to uh not get stuck when we're walking through mulch. So if we arrive at the playground and we get out of our vehicle, how are we able to get on not how where's the swing located and what's around it? And if there's mulch around it, someone who is um wheelchair bound, it's really hard to if not well, it's really really hard. I want to say it's impossible, but it's really hard. If you're wheelchair bound, and you have let's say 50 feet, 20 feet, 100 feet, whatever that amount is, to get to that swing, and that's the one thing that you and I want want to do is we you know envision ourselves going to the park and riding the swing. Well, if there's mulch there, that becomes a little bit tougher to even make it there because it's not a you know a smooth, flat surface that wheelchairs are able to maneuver through easily. Now there's those of us who we don't think twice. We arrive in our vehicle and we walk over through the mulch onto the swing, and then we swing, or we go up the steps of this uh that lead us to the slide or slides, and we go down the slide, and we have no no uh no issue with that, no problem, no challenge with that. And so when we talk about neurodivergent play areas, we're talking about play areas for all, not just for some. Now it's become now more evident and more needed than ever. We talk about inclusivity, bringing everybody together, not apart, and part of bringing everybody together is giving each of us an opportunity to play in the same type of way. So if you're not wheelchair bound, or if you are wheelchairbound, we all can play in the same space, and so there's a lot of a lot of great work being done here in the state of Ohio. There are a couple of well, I'll say there's at least one inclusive playground that uh we we know of. And we're not going to call out specifically, uh, because we want we want all spaces, all areas, all playgrounds to uh be neurodivergent and have that on the minds when planning committees and council members and uh if that issue comes up on a ballot to vote on, that we we understand that not everybody is like myself, and have two two legs, two functional legs that I'm able to walk through mulch. Uh others aren't. And so that can that be can become a big uh a big big topic because right, we have friends all shapes, sizes, we all we're all a little bit different. And if we're hanging out and we say to anybody in our in our in our uh our class or any of our friends, hey, do you want to go to the want to go to the playground and play? Well, to all the all the people who don't have you know those challenges of the wheelchair or others, or they're really more immobile than than uh than than others, that not only is mulch an issue, but how about the swing itself? Does a swing keep everybody safe? And so these are topics and ideas that you know the year right now is 2025. We're gonna be in 2026 very shortly, and we should be able to have inclusive playgrounds for all. There's different things we can mean. We could be neurodivergent, we could be neurodivergent in one way and not others, and so where I am neurodivergent, uh number one is the mental illnesses with major depression, general anxiety, ADHD, ADD, uh, and then the lower spectrum autism that is uh that I'm impacted more on that continuum on uh lights, on loud noises, sounds uh and so that's where that's where I land on the neurodivergent area. And I'm not just you know, I talk about lights, it's it's it's interesting because people say, Oh, well, you have to have light to you know see where you're going. And yes, that that's true. But when you're in a an area where if you're able to see, and and again, I'm I'm lucky lucky to be able to see, and I have two functional legs and two functional arms and fingers, and I mouth, nose, ears. I am blessed to be uh who I am and and what I what I have, you know, uh parts of the body and and things, others aren't. And so we have to think about that, and so getting back to the lights, it's not just the fact like, oh well, I need a light to see if I'm able to see, or my caregiver is able to see. But for me, it's not just the fact that oh, lights are on and every light bothers me. That's not not the case, it's hard to explain. So I'm not gonna get into all the different aspects. The one area that is, I think, overlooked when it re when it relates to lights is the temperature. So right, there's warm, there's cold, there's just right, and so we try to dress ourselves. So if it's chilly, we want to dress ourselves or have our caregivers dress us in long sleeves and coats and pants and shoes and socks as best as we can. And then the the opposite, if it's if it's warm, uh, depending on how warm it is and where we're at, uh say we're at a beach, then we're we're going to be at a beach when the weather is warmer, then we're gonna want to be again dressed appropriately, whether we're able to dress ourselves or we have our caregivers that help dress us. And so when we get talk about lights, think about the sun when it's summertime, it's warm outside, warmer than other parts of the year, depending on where you live. Um and so, right, the the sun, if we're able to feel that heat, lights inside can do the same thing. There can be certain types of lights that not only are functional as a way for us to be able to see versus in the dark. But there's also lights that are brighter and warmer than others, and I don't I don't know which ones are which. All I know is from my experience, what I notice myself is there are certain lights, and again, I can't I can't explain which ones they are, uh, and we're not gonna badmouth uh light you know uh light bulb makers, manufacturers. Uh we we would hope that the trend, if it's not already there, would be leaning getting closer to where the lights are only there to kind of project light for us so we can see our caregivers can see, and not also a heat source. And when you're as sensitive to things as I am and others, trust me, we can tell when a light is not just a light, it's also I heard somebody say it's it's a heat source, and so that makes me very, very, very, very anxious. My anxiety goes up. I have a hard time spending a large amount of time in areas like that. That's that's just me. I'm not I'm not speaking for everybody, but that's what makes me neurodivergent, one of the ways that makes me neurodivergent. Talked about if somebody's wheelchair bound, if they're able to see, not see here, not here, taste, not taste, uh, feed themselves, not feed themselves, walk, and uh as opposed to not uh not not being uh having that chat or having that challenge. And so that's why I wanted to have this show, and we're gonna do a couple more shows about this. Uh this one is a uh I'd say an all-encompassing one, a big summary to kind of introduce us all to neurodivergent. And these aren't excuses. Uh, that that's one thing that does bother me. These aren't excuses for us. These are like we all are, we're human beings. We have areas where we're similar, we have areas where we may be a little bit different, and that's okay. We're human beings, we're meant to be different. God made us in his image of what he wants us to be, and so we want to bring this up because it's not just in the outdoor space of playgrounds. That's a big source, especially your children, right? You're growing up, you want to, if you're able to, you want to get out and about and play, and you know, you want to be a kid, you you want to play, you know, play with your friends, you want to play safely. You want to say, oh well, I can do this, but sorry, there's mulch here, so I know you got we're on you know you're wheelchair bound, so you gotta go all the way over to the opposite side, or uh to get to the point to be able to ride a swing. And when they when anybody gets on a swing, is it safe? Is it safe for everybody? Is it is it designed for everybody? And so those are things that they're coming more and more to the forefront, and we applaud the organizations, we applaud, applaud the cities, municipalities, states, uh provinces, countries that are and have made outdoor play inclusive for everybody who wants to play. And that's just wanting to be a kid. That's all that is. It's just wanting to be a kid. We're a kid, we want to play, we want to play, we don't want to have to think like, oh well, I can only do this, and or can somebody help me over to this area? We'll do it if we we we need to, however, if the play area is set up in such a way that no matter what a child or even a even adult wants to play, that right, maybe you want to swing next to your child. Especially especially if there are uh you know some of these challenges that the children are are faced with that whole comfortability that whole being being happy that our children are able to play, play safely, play easily, and that comes down to you know things like mulch and barriers, so that's that's a barrier of entry to the play spill the play space of many of our historical play play areas, playgrounds. And so it's important. Those of us that are blessed to again have functional feet, legs, arms, eyes, ears, uh toes, fingers, uh, arms, legs it can be less of a challenge than somebody, than others. Not gonna just group people. So it it could be easier for for some, it can be tougher for others, and so with this episode, we talk about, you know, uh, as our show is built on the uh the huge pillar, the foundation of mental health, mental illness, even bringing the neurodivergency, um, inclusivity into that conversation as well. We haven't spent a lot of time specifically on the inclusive play, inclusive spaces, but we're going to. This again, this is like that that summary that's getting us primed because there are uh many, many, many people, organizations, firms, like architecture firms that are being asked more and more for inclusive areas, inclusive space, and inclusive rooms, uh, office space not the movie office space, but office space, workspace. And so we're gonna get into that in in uh in future episode. But I wanted to kind of kick this off by sharing that none of this is lost on us as an organization. There's times where we're gonna be more focused on one area than the other. Uh doesn't mean that we've lost and we aren't taking these uh inclusive, neurodivergent topics uh as much as we have others. But again, there's there's limited time in a day, uh limited episodes we can we can do and produce, and and so now is a now is uh time again that we're we're gonna kick this off and we're gonna have an episode or two, they're gonna be follow-ups to this because it is a hot topic. And even if it wasn't a hot topic, there's things that affect me and affect people I know and organizations that have that are inclusive. And some of those some a lot of individuals need caregivers, need need help traveling from this space to the next space to the next space. And anything about okay, transportation wheelchair bound may need a wheelchair lift vehicle. And so my I I would I would think that there would be now versus twenty years ago, there would be a higher demand in vehicles to be able to transport humans, people like you and I, not only to get onto the vehicle, but once you're inside the vehicle, to be safe, that the wheelchair right, that we're able to keep that uh you know locked in position, can can can be uh safely on board for for the ride, wherever that that is is to. So all across the spectrum, uh we're gonna be we're gonna be talking about these these topics. And we know they're important to you as well. So reach out. Let us let us know what you you'd like like to see here on future episodes. If you'd like to be a guest, let us know. Again, we're we're just about to a hundred countries. I've been saying 80 countries, 90 countries, we're just about to a hundred countries and provinces and territories that our show, the voices for voices TV show and podcasts is reaching. And so we want to thank each and every one of you, no matter how you're watching, how you're listening, where you're listening, where you're watching from. We're all in this together. We have this big goal of helping three billion people at least over the course of my lifetime and beyond. And you'll you just heard me say, at least. Uh I say that because our understanding, our our belief is we're we're on our way to three billion people, helping three billion people. And so when we say at least, we're not stopping that three billion. We're not gonna say, Oh, we we reached that goal, so we're done. No. They say the show must go on. Voices for voices is gonna go on, and we're gonna go and go and go and go, and we're gonna talk and we're gonna reach and we're gonna uh help or help people here in the United States, here locally. In in our state, across the country, across the world. It makes no difference where where you're at and how you watch and how you listen. We're just so happy and glad to have you with us. So until next time, it's Justin here with Voices for Voices. And we uh we want to say, let's celebrate all of our voices, no matter how uh no matter how in what way that may be. And until next time, please be a voice for you or somebody in need. Bye bye. We'll see you next time.