Resource Information 
Creating Accessible Play Areas
prepared for the ADA Audio Conference
May 16, 2006

by Jennifer K. Skulski, CPSI
Director of Marketing & Special Projects
National Center on Accessibility
www.ncaonline.org
jskulski@indiana.edu

Standards & Guidelines

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.  Handbook for public playground 
safety.  Washington, DC: CPSC.  Publication No. 35.  http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/325.pdf

U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission
4330 East West Highway
Bethesda, MD 20814
(800) 638-2772
info@cpsc.gov
www.cpsc.gov

American Society for Testing & Materials International (ASTM)

ASTM International
100 Barr Harbor Drive
PO Box C700
West Conshohocken, PA, 19428-2959 (610) 832-9585
www.astm.org

The following standards are available for download, ranging from $35-40 each.

ASTM F1487 Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Playground Equipment for Public Use

F1292 Method to Test Impact Attenuation of Safety Surfacing for Playgrounds

F1951 Method to Test Accessibility of Safety Surfacing for Playgrounds

F2049 Guide for Fencing/Barriers for Playgrounds

F2075 Engineered Wood Fiber Safety Surfacing

F1918 Soft Contained Play Systems

F1148 Residential Play Equipment

Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines for Play Areas 
Reprinted in ADA/ABA Accessibility Guidelines released July 2004.  (Chapter 10, Section 1008).  http://www.access-board.gov/ada-aba/index.htm

Recommended Reading

U.S. Access Board.  (May 2001).  A guide to ADA accessibility guidelines for play 
areas.  Washington, DC: U.S. Access Board.  http://www.access-board.gov/play/guide/intro.htm

Skulski, J. (December 2005). City of Detroit Sets Strict Specs to Ensure New 
Playground Surfaces are Safe and Accessible. Bloomington, IN: National Center on Accessibility, Indiana University.  http://www.ncaonline.org/making-the-grade/detroit.shtml

Frost, J.  (2004).  The Developmental Benefits of Playgrounds.  Olney, MD: 
Association for Childhood Education International.

National Center on Accessibility.  (1996) Access to Play Areas.  Bloomington, IN: 
Indiana University.  http://www.ncaonline.org/playgrounds/play-areas.shtml

National Center on Accessibility.  (2000).  Designing for the widest spectrum of 
park visitors.  Bloomington, IN: Indiana University.  http://www.ncaonline.org/video-seminar/design.shtml

Shrake, A. (2004).  Funding Accessibility Projects: In Search of the Money Tree.  
Bloomington, IN: National Center on Accessibility, Indiana University.  http://www.ncaonline.org/monographs/11funding.shtml

Kutska, K.  (1996).  Playground maintenance: Rudiments & recommendations.  
Play it Safe, an Anthology of Playground Safety.  Second ed.  Ashburn, VA: National Recreation and Park Association.

Moore, R.C, Goltsman, S.M, Iacofano, D.S.  (1992).  Play for All Guidelines: 
Planning, Designing and Management of Outdoor Play Settings for All Children.  MIG Communications.

Solomon, S. (2005) American Playgrounds: Revitalizing Community Space.  
Lebanon, NH: University Press of New England.

Thompson, S.  (1996). The role of play in children’s development and implications 
for public playscape planning.  In M. L. Christiansen & H. Vogelsong (Eds.), Play it safe: An anthology of playground safety (pp. 31-40).  Ashburn, VA: National Recreation & Park Association. 

Henderson, W.  (April, 1997).  Catching kids when they fall: Guidelines to 
choosing a playground surface.  Parks and Recreation, 32 (4), 84.

Axelson, P. & Yamada, D.  (June 1999).  Accessible exterior surfaces technical 
article.  Prepared for the U.S. Access Board under contract #QA96005001.  Minden, NV: Beneficial Designs.  

CONTEXT.  (November 2005).  The Grant Henry Courtyard at the Indiana School 
for the Deaf Wins a Monumental Affair Honor Award for Landscape Architecture. Indianapolis: CONTEXT, LLC. http://www.context-design.com/news2005MonumentalAffairISD.php

MIG Communications.  Play Area Projects: Ibach Park.  
http://www.migcom.com/Ibach_ced.html  or www.migcom.com > design > play areas.

Resources

National Center on Accessibility
Indiana University Research Park
501 N Morton St, Suite 109
Bloomington, IN 47404-3732 
(812) 856-4422 Voice
(812) 856-4421TTY
nca@indiana.edu
www.ncaonline.org

U.S. Access Board
1331 F Street, NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20004-1111
(800) 872-2253 Voice
(800) 993-2822 TTY
www.access-board.gov

U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Civil Rights
Disability Rights Section
(800) 514-0301 Voice
(800) 514-0383 TTY
www.ada.gov

ADA & IT Centers
(800) 949-4232
www.adata.org

National Center on Physical Activity & Disability
University of Illinois at Chicago
(800) 900-8086
ncpad@uic.edu
www.ncpad.org

U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission
4330 East West Highway
Bethesda, MD 20814
(800) 638-2772
www.cpsc.gov

ASTM International
100 Barr Harbor Drive
PO Box C700
West Conshohocken, PA, 19428-2959 (610) 832-9585
www.astm.org

National Playground Safety Institute
National Recreation and Park Association
22377 Belmont Ridge Road
Ashburn, VA 20148-4150
(703) 858-0784
www.nrpa.org

National Program for Playground Safety
School of HPELS, WRC 205
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0618 
(800) 554-PLAY 
www.uni.edu/playground

Dr. Joe Frost Research Collection
on Children's Play and Play Environments
www.uiw.edu/frost

Playground Clearing House
(610) 935-7004
www.triax2000.com

Beneficial Designs, Inc.
2240 Meridian Blvd, Suite C
Minden, NV 89423-8628
(775) 783-8822 
www.beneficialdesigns.com