Careful planning, choosing the right surfacing, and ongoing maintenance are essential to ensure long-term accessibility, safety, and compliance. Learn how to create a truly inclusive playground space that goes beyond just equipment.
Creating a fun, safe, and inclusive playground involves more than just installing equipment—it requires thoughtful planning and attention to the accessibility of your playground surfacing system. For children with disabilities, inaccessible surfaces can act as barriers to play, inclusion, and independence. Here are seven essential insights every playground owner should understand to ensure their play space is truly accessible and compliant.
A successful and inclusive playground begins with careful planning. This involves more than picking equipment—it’s about selecting the right site, designing accessible routes, and understanding the long-term maintenance needs. Many new playground owners overlook that a playground is a long-term investment, not just a one-time purchase. Playgrounds typically remain in use for 10 to 20 years, during which the surface may need repairs or replacement to maintain safety and accessibility.
Site selection plays a significant role in the overall accessibility. Even relatively flat areas should undergo a site survey to ensure a continuous accessible route can be designed. These routes should connect all accessible play elements and be clearly defined in the site plan and construction drawings.
Playgrounds must meet the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, which cover technical specifications like slope, surface openings, and clear floor space. These standards apply to most public playgrounds in parks, schools, malls, and other facilities.
Although only certain parts of the play area—such as the accessible route and entry/egress points—are required to meet the standards, designing the entire use zone to be accessible is best practice. This approach better supports how children play: moving freely and unpredictably across the entire play space.
A four-year longitudinal study conducted by the National Center on Accessibility evaluated how different playground surfaces perform over time. The research found that:
Overall, we find the pour-in-place rubber is your best bet when it comes to creating a long lasting accessible surfacing system. PIP rubber does still require occasional maintenance to ensure the system stays clean and the resin does not completely burn off over time. However, it works very well when creating accessible pathways and a flush, top-of-curb, system.
With engineered wood fiber, you have the issue of having to constantly top off the system with new mulch to keep your surfacing thickness compliant with the fall height requirements of your play equipment. Additionally, with wood fiber, you also must account for a concrete ADA ramp to access the area, which takes up space, and adds cost to your system. While wood fiber systems can be technically ADA accessible, from a practical standpoint, they typically don’t offer the same ease of use that pour-in-place rubber or artificial turf provide.
This research highlights the importance of selecting a playground surface system not just based on initial cost, but also on installation requirements and long-term upkeep.
It’s essential to evaluate the accessible route and play components at every stage—on paper, during installation, and throughout the life of the playground. Tools like digital levels and rotational penetrometers can measure slope, openings, and surface firmness and stability.
Assessments should be thorough, checking all segments of the accessible route—not just averages or isolated points. A route is only accessible if every part of it meets the standards.
.jpg)
Surface materials vary widely in cost, installation complexity, and maintenance requirements. Poured-in-place rubber and hybrid systems may cost more upfront but require less frequent maintenance. Loose fill materials like EWF may be cheaper to install but can quickly become non-compliant without constant upkeep.
Ask suppliers for documentation on lab testing (e.g., ASTM F1951 and F1292), installation instructions, warranty details, and local customer references. Visit existing installations to assess how the surface performs after years of use. Discover Zoom Recreations playground surface options.
Improper installation is one of the most common causes of accessibility issues. Whether the surface is installed by contractors or in-house staff, it’s critical that the team is trained and understands accessibility standards.
Even products with great lab performance can fail in the field if not installed correctly. Clear communication between design, installation, and maintenance teams is key. Drainage systems, seam alignment, and curing times can all impact compliance.
Accessibility doesn’t end at installation. Regular and frequent inspections are necessary to ensure compliance with standards like ASTM F1951-99. Maintenance crews should be trained to identify and correct issues related to slope, surface displacement, and damage from wear or vandalism.
Surfaces like PIP require fewer maintenance visits but are more expensive to repair. In contrast, EWF often needs weekly attention, especially in high-use areas. Regardless of the material, all surfaces need consistent care to remain safe and accessible.
Installing playground surfacing is vital for creating inclusive spaces where all children can play. By planning carefully, following standards, choosing the right surface, and committing to long-term maintenance, playground owners can build environments that support active, equitable play for every child.
Zoom Recreation strives to create efficient recreational spaces and provide exceptional customer service. Superior awarded us their highest President's Award and Gold Club Awards two years in a row.
Contact usAs the exclusive representative of Superior Recreational Products in your local area, Zoom is committed to recommending, providing and installing only the top products for all our customers.
.jpg)
.jpg)
