HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. — A trip to Waynesville means Sara Pendergrass and her family are spinning, swinging and sliding. Most importantly, they’re smiling. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Waynesville playground is the only park Luc Gibson, a Canton resident who has cerebral palsy, can play on in the area
  • The cities of Asheville and Hendersonville both have all-ability playgrounds set to either build or open in 2023 
  • Sara Pendergrass and her family put together a 5K to help raise money to build an all-ability playground in Canton 

“It really puts the biggest smile on my face when they’re out here just goofing off,” Pendergrass said. “Just being regular kids for a change.”

Those smiles come from the fact that every member of their family can participate, making it a worthwhile drive for her. 

Pendergrass’ son Luc Gibson has cerebral palsy, and the Waynesville playground is the only park in the area he can play on.

“Whenever he would want to go to the playground, he says, ‘Let’s go to the one that I can play on, Mom,’” Pendergrass said.

The accessibleplayground.net directory lists playgrounds with inclusive and accessible features across the state. While there is a section to submit missing playgrounds, the ones listed are mainly in urban areas, which shows gaps across the state, including in the mountains. Some travel hours across the state to find an all-inclusive playground.  

Many projects are in the works to address this. The cities of Asheville and Hendersonville both have all-ability playgrounds set to either build or open in 2023. 

Pendergrass is working to establish an accessible playground in Canton, where the family lives. She has her eyes on an empty lot that once was a playground before Tropical Storm Fred hit in 2021.

“It demolished all of it,” Pendergrass said. “But even when we did have the playground here, there was no special needs equipment. So when I bring my son here, he can’t hold himself up. He would have to sit in a baby swing, which is not feasible for a child that is 9 years old.”

The empty space has her thinking of what it could become. 

“If we actually have an all-accessible needs playground here, I'll probably start crying because it’s a dream come true,” Pendergrass said. “A dream I didn't even know I was going to have until now.”

The family organized a Cerebral Palsy Awareness 5K in March to raise money for the playground, and Canton officials have started working to order equipment for it.

“We want them to be able to bring all of the special needs kids out there so that anybody can see them and anybody can talk to them and become aware and educated on what’s going on with the special needs community,” Pendergrass said.