This is what Andalucía's first park designed for children with special educational needs will look like

Almuñécar on Granada province’s Costa Tropical has an ambitious dream: to become the first place in Andalucía to create a large playground designed specifically with children who process the world differently from most or learn in other ways in mind. They are children who have special educational needs like autism, ADHD, or dyslexia.

“Today we are taking a historic step towards inclusion and equal opportunities,” said the mayor of Almuñécar, Juanjo Ruiz Joya, after confirming that the town hall has put the draft project out to tender.

Although other municipalities – including Mijas on the Costa del Sol -have similar initiatives, Almuñécar town hall claims that its park will be designed for children with a wider range of developmental disorders.

The new park has been designed for the municipal site occupied by the former Auditórium cinema on Avenida Europa. According to technical specifications, this future space will set a new standard in terms of accessibility, sensory integration and adapted designs. It will feature play areas that have specific colours and flooring as well as sensory elements, quiet zones, motor stimulation loops, adapted signs, non-invasive ambient light and environments designed to encourage interaction, concentration, and fun among children with neurodiversity.

This park is more than just an urban project. This is an act of commitment to the families and children in need. Today, thanks to the work of Aloha, Asinal and other associations that have made requests for this kind of assistance, we are starting to turn a fair and needed demand into reality,” Ruiz Joya.

Ruiz Joya also said that “all of the resources necessary to make this park a reality in the shortest time possible” will be provided by the town hall. The tender was published on the 14th of October and includes the design of the park, the study of health and safety, project management, and health and security coordination. It has a deadline of 10 weeks.

“The new park will become a symbol of the municipality’s commitment to inclusion, accessibility and social innovation, improving the quality of life of children and their families and reinforcing Almuñécar-La Herradura’s leadership in public policies that put people at the centre,” the mayor concluded.