KINGSTON — The group working to bring an inclusive playground to the city has launched its fundraising campaign. The Inclusive Play Project is seeking to raise money to cover the $900,000 cost to build the city’s first fully inclusive playground in Shannon Park. Donations to the project can be made in person at City Hall, through the Canada Helps website or at the Include Play Project website. “We believe that every child and adult deserves the right to play,” project spokesperson Rachel Doornekamp said in a news release Monday. “The Inclusive Play Project is a call to action for the entire community to rally behind this important cause. People talk about Kingston needing more inclusive play spaces, and this is our opportunity to come together and build a community space that families will enjoy for years to come. Playgrounds should be for everyone!” An inclusive playground would combine accessibility features with playground features such as slides, swings and monkey bars that people of all abilities can access. About a dozen Ontario municipalities already have inclusive playgrounds, including Picton, Cornwall and Trenton. Kingston city council directed staff to continue working with the community groups involved in the project. Prior to that approval, councillors were told that although many local parks have accessible features, none are fully inclusive. “Most playgrounds are designed with able-bodied children in mind and don’t often consider caregivers or children who may also have a disability or use a mobility aid,” project organizer Sara Ogilvie told council at its Sept. 19 meeting. “An accessible playground is not synonymous with an inclusive playground. An inclusive playground is accessible, but also includes lots of classic features from playgrounds for their able-bodied children as well. An inclusive playground welcomes children and families of all abilities to play and grow together.” Most existing playgrounds have accessible surfaces but don’t have accessible play structures or vice versa, Doornekamp explained at the council meeting in September. “When we talk about this project, yes, we want to build a park, but a big part of this for us is educating around inclusive play,” Doornekamp said. “When we first started this journey, it was about building a park and somewhere where we could send our clients or take our clients. But it is very quickly becoming more than that, and it’s very quickly becoming this education around inclusive play.” Shannon Park is the preferred location because it is in the city’s underserved north end, close to Highway 401 to cater to families coming into Kingston for medical appointments, and it is one of the few parks adjacent to an accessible washroom, she added. The Shannon Park location was supported by city councillors who unanimously approved staff’s continued support for the project’s development.