At Smarty Symbols, we’re not just a Texas-based company; we are committed advocates for enhancing local communities right here in our backyard. That commitment shines through in our latest project at Fort Worth’s Dream Park—a beacon of imaginative play and inclusivity.
Nestled in the heart of Texas, Fort Worth’s Dream Park stands as a testament to community, inclusivity, and the sheer joy of childhood play. This remarkable playground, designed to be fully accessible and inclusive, captures the imagination of all who visit, from excited toddlers to their equally enchanted parents. As a proud Texas-based company, Smarty Symbols was thrilled to contribute to this local gem by designing a custom communication board that reflects the park’s unique spirit and commitment to accessibility.
The Dream Park in Fort Worth is not just any playground. It’s a vibrant space where children of all abilities can explore and interact without barriers. This transformative playground, nestled in the heart of Fort Worth’s Trinity Park, officially opened its gates with a celebratory ribbon-cutting on April 15, 2019.
Smarty Symbols, a proud Texas-based company, contributed to this local initiative by designing a custom communication board that aligns seamlessly with the park’s ethos of accessibility and community engagement. Our board incorporates vivid, bespoke illustrations that reflect the unique features of Dream Park, from the sensory-rich environments to the wheelchair-accessible swings and innovative roller slides. Each symbol on the board is thoughtfully designed to enhance communication for all children, particularly benefiting those with limited verbal abilities or sensory processing disorders, thus allowing them to more fully engage with their surroundings and peers.
In early 2023, recognizing a crucial gap in inclusivity, Barbara Fernandes, CEO of Smarty Symbols, reached out to the city park administrators of Fort Worth’s Frank Kent’s Dream Park. Her initiative was to highlight the need for a communication board that would allow all children, especially those with speech and communication challenges, to fully engage with the park’s amenities.
Fernandes personally oversaw the design and production process at Smarty Symbols to ensure the communication board was perfectly aligned with the park’s inclusive ethos and aesthetic. The design team was meticulously guided to create a board that was not only functional but also engaging and visually appealing. Custom illustrations and layout were carefully crafted to mirror the park’s environment, making the board a seamless and integral addition to the space.
At Fort Worth’s Dream Park, the presence of unique and custom structures designed by Landscape Structures presented a special challenge—and opportunity—for our communication board design. Recognizing that the park featured distinct and imaginative play areas rather than generic playground equipment, it became clear that standard icons for “slides and swings” would not suffice. Our goal was to enable every child, particularly those who use wheelchairs or have other mobility challenges, to communicate precisely where they wanted to play.
The design process for the communication board at Fort Worth’s Dream Park exemplifies a meticulous approach to creating an inclusive play environment. Here’s a look at how Smarty Symbols transformed park elements into communicative icons that bridge play and expression for all children.
Not all projects require on site visits. Often can have city parks administrators email us the images, or we can easily find some references online.
Objective: Integrate custom icons into a communication board layout with attention to linguistic structure and visual accessibility.
Process:
Background Color Coding: The design team utilized industry-standard color-coding based on parts of speech to enhance the usability of the communication board. This method helps users quickly identify nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc., through consistent color associations, which is crucial in alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) systems.
Icon Placement:
Integration of Non-Structural Vocabulary:
In line with our commitment to inclusivity, the communication boards designed for Dream Park are not only physically accessible but also linguistically accommodating. Understanding the diverse linguistic landscape of the Fort Worth community, we have incorporated both English and Spanish into the board’s design. This bilingual approach ensures that a broader range of visitors can engage with and benefit from the communication tools provided.
The decision to create bilingual boards stems from our deeper organizational commitment to cultural sensitivity and accessibility. As a Latina-led company, Smarty Symbols is acutely aware of the importance of language in community engagement and inclusion. Our CEO, a passionate advocate for linguistic accessibility, emphasizes that providing tools in both English and Spanish is crucial in honoring the cultural identity of many users and enhancing their park experience.
This bilingual feature is especially significant in areas like Fort Worth, where a considerable portion of the community might be bilingual or predominantly Spanish-speaking. By providing a communication board that respects and acknowledges this linguistic diversity, Smarty Symbols helps bridge communication gaps, making play and interaction more inclusive.
The inclusion of bilingual options in our communication boards is a reflection of Smarty Symbols’ overarching mission to ensure that every child and guardian, regardless of language or ability, has equal opportunities to communicate and engage in meaningful ways. It’s a testament to our dedication to not just meet but exceed the standards of inclusivity, influenced deeply by the cultural insights and leadership of our CEO. This approach not only fosters inclusivity but also deepens the sense of community connection at Dream Park, making it a welcoming space for all families.
Today, the communication board at Dream Park stands as a testament to effective community and corporate collaboration in enhancing public spaces. It enriches the park experience for every visitor, ensuring that children of all abilities can play, learn, and communicate without barriers. “Seeing our vision come to life, contributing to a park where children of all abilities can interact, is profoundly rewarding,” Fernandes concluded.
This initiative is a proud moment for all involved and marks a significant milestone in Smarty Symbols’ ongoing commitment to creating accessible and engaging community environments.
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