LIKE most parents, Kylie Welsh just wants her son to be happy but says lack of Council planning is stopping him from doing something he loves.
Corey Welsh (inset) likes going on the swings like any nine-year-old, but as he is confined to a wheelchair this is only possible with a liberty swing.
Designed for children in wheelchairs or with little mobility, the swing allows them to enjoy and take part in the playground environment.
But with the two liberty swings in Mandurah – one on the eastern foreshore and one at Caterpillar Park – out in the sun, Ms Welsh said they were barely used.
“We’d like to use them more but we can’t,” she said. “It will be barely 10am and the sun will already be creeping in.
“Because Corey is in a wheelchair all the time, he doesn’t get to move about by himself.
“It’s frustrating that it’s not in the shade.
“We fight many battles, this is one of those that we shouldn’t have to.”
A City of Mandurah spokesperson said the Council had allocated funds to proved a shade facility for the liberty swing on the eastern foreshore and was currently assessing quotes to complete the project.
“At this stage it’s expected the shade structure will be installed for the hottest months of the year,” the spokesperson said.
Ms Welsh said the fact it wasn’t an inclusive playground environment, with the liberty swing separated from the other equipment, as well as it also being accessible with a key, which was only available from the information centre during office hours, also contributed to the fact the swing wasn’t used.
The City of Mandurah spokesperson said due to space constraints and necessity for the liberty swing to be fenced in a controlled area, it needed to be in separate enclosure.
The City is in the initial planning stages of reviewing its Disability Access and Inclusion Plan. Interested members of the public can email sonya.snowsill@mandurah.wa.gov.au for more information.