Shoshana Dreyfus at the 2023 opening of the Stuart Park playground with Cunningham MP Alison Byrnes, Wollongong MP Paul Scully, Disability Trust CEO Carol Berry (now the Labor candidate for Whitlam) and former Wollongong lord mayor Gordon Bradbery. Photos: Jen White.
A Wollongong playground where anyone can play regardless of their size, age or intellectual or physical ability has won the popular vote in a national award.
The Stuart Park All Ages, All Abilities Playground was named the People’s Choice winner in the Community Champion category of the Shaping Australia Awards announced in Canberra on 25 February.
The awards are an initiative of Universities Australia to celebrate the extraordinary people that transform the nation for the better. The Community Champion category honours an individual, team or university with deep ties to its community, beyond just those who attend the institution.
The playground was a labour of love for University of Wollongong (UOW) Associate Professor Shoshana Dreyfus.
Her adult son, Bodhi, was born with a severe intellectual disability, has never been able to talk and uses non-verbal methods to communicate.
Bodhi and his mates love playgrounds, but as they grew older they became too big to play on standard equipment.
Shoshana stopped taking Bodhi to playgrounds when he was about 14 because other families would take their little children off the playground when he went on them.
She paid tribute to Bodhi, now 28, in accepting the award and said it was an incredible win for people with intellectual disabilities.
Shoshana paid tribute to her son Bodhi when accepting the award.
“This award is a real win for people with intellectual disabilities. It is a win for people with all disabilities,” she said.
“That’s what the whole project is about, creating a space that celebrates people with an intellectual disability. I hope we can inspire others to build more spaces like this around the world.”
The development and construction of the playground was driven by the community and partners from across the Illawarra, including UOW, the Federal and NSW governments, Wollongong City Council, and The Disability Trust.
Shoshana’s tireless advocacy secured more than $1 million in funding to help bring her vision to life and the playground opened in December 2023.
It has many unique features, including adult-sized, accessible equipment and sensory elements tailored to diverse needs.
Shoshana said the playground had been a source of joy for both herself and countless members of the community.
“I can’t express enough what this project has meant to me. People with an intellectual disability are one of the most marginalised groups within our society and being able to create a space that is for them, where they are welcomed and encouraged to be there, has been life-changing,” she said.
“To be voted the winner of the people’s choice award reflects the project’s value to the entire community.
“This playground is the first of its kind, one that is truly inclusive to all, where anyone can play regardless of their size, age or intellectual or physical ability.”
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