Help build a play environment that meets the needs of children like JC

For children with intellectual disabilities, like those who attend St Francis Special School, to play is to learn. But the school’s playground is failing children like JC. Your support today can help to build the place of joy and learning they deserve. 

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JC is seven years old and has attended St Francis for three years. He has autism and epilepsy and is preverbal. He is visual and hearing impaired, peg-fed and can only walk short distances unassisted. 

That’s a lot for one little boy to deal with but he has such a sunny disposition. His whole face lights up when he gets to play outside and he shakes with excitement when the sun comes out. 

And that’s why the state of the school’s existing playground is so heart-breaking. Built in 2006, the equipment is worn and no longer fit for purpose. The surfaces are uneven and therefore dangerous. The equipment was never intended for bigger children but now the school caters for students all the way up to the age of 18.

All of the things JC loves – bright colours and patterns, equipment he can use himself – do not exist in the current playground, which is anything but bright and engaging. 

These children deserve better and, with your help, we can build a new and invigorating place of play and learning where children like JC can thrive.

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Your generosity will help to fund accessible pathways, sensory-rich elements, and adaptive equipment tailored to the needs of the students who attend the school. A play environment that meets the needs of children like JC.

Donate Now