Breaking Barriers in Arizona: How Communication Boards Are Changing Play Spaces
Playgrounds in Chandler found their voice this May 2025, when speech-language pathologist Ebony Green and her team unveiled bright, bilingual communication boards at Tumbleweed and Apache Parks. Featuring 72 symbols spanning emotions, actions, and playground activities, these boards empower non-verbal and minimally verbal children to express themselves and play alongside friends.
Breaking Barriers in Arizona: How Communication Boards Are Changing Play Spaces
Playgrounds are where friendships blossom, imaginations soar, and every child’s voice matters—but for non-verbal and minimally verbal kids, joining in the fun can feel out of reach. This May 2025, speech-language pathologist Ebony Green and her team at The SPEAK Center partnered with Smarty Symbols to change that story in Chandler, Arizona. Bright, weather-resistant boards went live at Tumbleweed and Apache parks on May 18—National Speech Pathologist Day—each featuring 72 bilingual symbols that span emotions, actions, and play equipment.
More than a tool for pointing and gesturing, these communication boards transform park visits into fully inclusive experiences. Families, therapists, and community leaders gathered at the Playtopia unveiling to celebrate a practical, replicable model for accessible play—complete with custom lanyards for mobile symbol access and a spirit of connection that transcends words.
In the sections that follow, we’ll share the journey from concept to community celebration: how stakeholders came together, key design decisions that shaped the boards, the real-world impact already unfolding in Chandler, and step-by-step guidance for any town, school, or recreation department eager to bring inclusive play to their own neighborhoods.
From Vision to Partnership: How an Idea Became Chandler’s Inclusive Play Initiative
The vision to install communication boards in Chandler’s parks sprang from speech-language pathologist Ebony Green’s determination to extend the support she offered at her clinic into the community’s playgrounds.
Ebony Green, CEO of The SPEAK Center for Language and Learning in Chandler, had first‐hand accounts from families whose children struggled to request a turn on the slide or share excitement at the top of the jungle gym. Motivated by her mission to support speech and language, she decided to bring communication boards to the city’s public spaces. In early 2025, Green formally approached Chandler Parks & Recreation with a clear rationale: by placing communication boards at playgrounds in Chandler’s, the city could bridge communication gaps, reduce frustration, and foster genuine connections among all children.