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Golfer Jordan Spieth opens inclusive, accessible children's park in Dallas

Design Driver

Golfer Jordan Spieth opens inclusive, accessible children's park in Dallas

Rendering of the new Flag Pole Hill Park in Dallas, Texas (Courtesy the City of Dallas)

As the Dallas Morning News reported, professional golfer Jordan Spieth, 2015 U.S. Open and Master Tournament winner, backed the new Flag Pole Hill Park in Dallas, Texas, which opened this week. The park is designed to be accessible to as wide a range of children as possible, with special attention to the abilities of young people with special needs.

The park includes several pieces of playground structures designed and produced by Austin, Texas–based Kompan, a sports and play equipment company. Kompan has partnered on other projects with the Gehl Institute, an international consultancy that advises on the relationship between people’s wellbeing and the built environment. The pieces used in the new Dallas park are designed to be engaging but safe, and accessible by children with a board range of physical and mental abilities.

Spieth’s younger sister, Ellie, attended the ribbon cutting with her older brother and her fellow cheer squad members, according to the Dallas Morning News. The golfer subsequently posted online several photos of the squad enjoying the park.

Inclusive design is an approach to designing for people who may have radically different physical and intellectual abilities. The term can refer to things like adjusting lighting and acoustics for people with sensory sensitivities, adding braille labels to exhibits, or making playgrounds ADA accessible.

Site plan for Flag Pole Hill Park in Dallas, Texas
Site plan for Flag Pole Hill Park in Dallas, Texas (Courtesy the City of Dallas/Via Lakewood/East Dallas Advocate)

The park was jointly produced by the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation, the City of Dallas, the Lake Highlands Junior Women’s League, the Lake Highlands Exchange Club, and For the Love of the Lake, a local neighborhood-improvement project.

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