Communication board at Hudson Crossing Park in Oswego giving non-verbal kids a new voice

Non-verbal children now have a way to let their parents or caregivers know what they would like to do while at the Oswegoland Park District’s Hudson Crossing Park in downtown Oswego.

A communication board was recently installed at the park. The board features photos of features at the park, including slides.

Non-verbal youngsters can also point to the board to indicate whether they are hungry or thirsty.

“It was a premade board with one of our playground contractors that we use regularly, Landscape Structures, and I know that they worked with a few different organizations to get that made up,” said Colleen McCarty, senior park planner for the Oswegoland Park District.

She thinks the communication board will be well used. Last fall, new playground equipment was installed at Hudson Crossing Park.

“Hudson Crossing is one of our busiest parks,” McCarty said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s plenty of kids that would utilize it at that park.”

The Park District is a member of the Fox Valley Special Recreation Association, which provides recreational opportunities for children with mental, physical or emotional disabilities. Given that the communication board is low to the ground, McCarty said it could be something that young kids who aren’t talking yet could also use.

“It’s not super high, so it’s good for little kids too who aren’t necessarily talking yet,” she said. “They can go up and point to the picture of the slide if they want to go down the slide with their caretaker.”

Communication boards will be installed at other district parks in the future.

“Moving forward, we’re going to include them in any new playgrounds that we do with the district,” McCarty said. “Village Green Park we have on the community improvement plan along with Ogden Falls Park. We plan to install communications boards in those parks when the playground equipment gets replaced.”