“I used to be overweight, and so I could not use the slide as a child. Though older and past the age of using slides, I am interested in slides, the design of slides. I do not want children on the heavier side missing out on the slide,” says Arvind Kumar, a student of Gurukulam, a centre for children with special needs in Anna Nagar.
The youngster with autism typed out an explanation approximating to this when asked why he sought “wide slides” in parks. Arvind was responding to a team that has fanned out to various neighbourhoods in Chennai to understand the need for inclusive parks.
To make Chennai’s parks more accessible for persons with disabilities, Mayor Priya R. as part of 2025 budget announced making 10 important parks inclusive. Greater Chennai Corporation’s Gender and Policy Lab, Kilikili, Disability Rights Alliance and other volunteering groups are facilitating consultations with different stakeholders to understand their needs.
On August 12, the team engaged with three institutions working in the inclusion space in Anna Nagar — MITHRA, Sankalp and Gurukulam — that brought their students to Bougainvillea Park which is among the green spaces that make up the ten.
Students of Gurukulam at Bougainvillea Park
