Focus Groups Meetings

Intent…

As part of our collaborative effort, a series of focus meetings will be conducted to gather input, insights, and opinions from diverse perspectives, local advocacy groups, parents/caregivers of children with different abilities, nonprofit organizations, educators and therapists to make informed decisions and achieve a shared understanding of the project. Focus group meetings serve as a valuable tool during the engagement phase, by facilitating in-depth discussions, capturing diverse perspectives, and generating qualitative data.

Having focus group meetings for the All-Abilities Playground pre-design programming benefited the project in several ways:

• Gathered Diverse Input: Engaged with various stakeholders, including parents, caregivers, community members, and professionals, to ensure the design meets the needs of all users.

• Identified Key Features: Helped prioritize features like accessibility, sensory play, and safety, ensuring the playground addresses diverse abilities.

• Built Community Support: Fostered community involvement and buy-in, ensuring the project aligns with community values and expectations.

• Enhanced Collaboration: Provided opportunities for collaboration between different city departments and external experts to refine the programmatic goals.

• Ensured Inclusive Design: Promoted a more inclusive design by identifying barriers and ensuring that the playground accommodates a wide range of physical and cognitive abilities.

• Created a Sense of Ownership: Engaged the community, leading to a sense of ownership and pride in the project, which can contribute to its long-term success.

• Refined Design Ideas: Allowed for feedback on preliminary ideas, helping refine and improve the overall vision before moving forward with the design phase.