Autism-Friendly Playground Coming to Staten Island

By Bethany Braun-Silva August 4, 2017

Prescott Playground in Staten Island will be getting a $4 million redesign including new equipment that will provide more sensory stimulation for children with autism.

New equipment will include a sand table, a roller table, and outdoor musical instrument boards. The new equipment will be able to be used by all children, but will be especially designed for children with autism.

Staten Island Borough President, James Oddo, allocated close to $4 million in taxpayer money to fund the park.

“We want to see all of Staten Island enjoying our parks, and we want all of our kids with varying degrees of abilities to enjoy our parks,” said Oddo in a statement. “I think this is a statement on our values that we want to get this playground built.”

Another Staten Island playground, Ida Park, also received funding for renovations, but the Parks Department will roll out the work on Prescott Park first. The autism-friendly improvements were originally set to be made at Ida Park, but Prescott Park was ultimately better suited, according to officials.

"Prescott Playground is the perfect spot for this sensory playground because it's in a quiet area," said Parks Commissioner Ricciardone in a statement.

Oddo has plans to form a group from the special needs community in Staten Island to give feedback during the playground’s design phase. He also tweeted several images of prospective equipment.

There is no start date or projected date of completion for the park at this time.

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