A Park Above receives award from statewide disabilities group

RIO RANCHO — A Park Above, the state’s first playground for children with disabilities located in Rio Rancho, was recently recognized by a major disabilities organization.

The park, located at 2441 A Park Above Court, received the “Statewide Community Leadership and Disability Advocacy Award” from Disability Pride New Mexico during the third annual Santa Fe Accessibility Awards event July 31. The award was accepted by Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull on behalf of the city.

“We’re extremely honored and humbled to receive the award and to be recognized by this group that is a leading advocate for disability rights,” Hull said in an interview. “It speaks to Rio Rancho’s ongoing commitment to leading the state in a visionary way.”

The mayor posted a picture of the award, which was a work of art, welding metal into the shape of the sun symbol of the Zia tribe with a figure in a wheelchair.

The park, which broke ground in October 2013 and opened in May 2016, contains “inclusive and accessible play equipment,” including swings for individuals who use wheelchairs, and a “hill feature with an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramp,” according to the city’s website. The grounds also include traditional park amenities, including a lawn area, picnic tables, shade structures, a basketball court and walking paths, the website said.

Angelique Montoya-Chavez, a board member for Disability Pride who has visited the park as a mother of two children with disabilities, called A Park Above “outstanding” for its features, including a fence around the perimeter that prevents children from running out.

While other parks meet ADA requirements, Montoya-Chavez said A Park Above goes “above and beyond” the law.

“They really thought of almost every single disability when designing this,” she said. “They didn’t just meet the standard; they set the standard.”

Montoya-Chavez has visited the park with her two adult children multiple times.

“We don’t have to worry about anything over there,” she said. “When I’m with Jared, pushing him on the swing, I know Savannah’s not going to run out into traffic.”

Another reason why A Park Above was deserving of an award, she said, is because it is a place everyone can enjoy, not just those with disabilities.

That was true recently, when the Observer visited the park and spoke to families of children without disabilities.

Candayce Goldtooth, of Albuquerque, said she has taken her children, Richard, 5, and Agustus, 4, to the park multiple times a week.

She said her boys had not been tested for disabilities, but they “do like this park more than others.”

Richard and Agustus were seen playing on equipment and later, simply chasing after after one another on playground turf while wearing custom-made helmets. Richard’s was made to resemble spikes on a dinosaur.

“In case they fall, it’s less dangerous than wood chips or cement,” Goldtooth said of the payground turf.

Even though her boys have not interacted at the park with others who have disabilities, Goldtooth said she hoped A Park Above teaches them about respect.

“Let them know some people are different, so you’ve got to be nice and respectful,” Goldtooth said.