Inclusive Playground with Ramp
Officially opened in August 2026, DREAM Playground is Summit County’s first fully inclusive playground. The 24,000-square-foot destination was created with a simple but powerful goal: to give children and adults of all abilities a place to play, explore, connect and belong together.
A Dream That Started With a Community
The story of DREAM Playground began in 2022, when the City of Hudson resident Megan Higgins joined fellow parents and disability advocates to imagine a playground where children of all abilities could play side by side. That vision quickly grew into a community-wide effort.
Through the leadership of the Hudson Inclusive Playground (HIP) Committee and its partnership with the Hudson Community Foundation, more than $550,000 in private donations was raised to help make the project possible. The City of Hudson, Hudson Park Board, State of Ohio, Summit County Developmental Disabilities Board, community organizations, volunteers, donors and local supporters all played a role.
The result is a $2.66 million playground designed around the idea that inclusion should be built into the play experience—not added as an afterthought.
Inclusive playground design layout with sidewalk and surfacing
Designed for Inclusive Play
DREAM Playground incorporates a wide variety of play experiences and accessibility features so that children and adults with different abilities can participate in ways that work for them.
The playground includes:
- Ramp-accessible, multi-level play structures
- Adaptive swings
- A wheelchair-accessible merry-go-round
- An accessible zip line
- Sensory play elements
- Quiet spaces for children who benefit from a calmer environment
- Accessible pathways throughout the playground
- Rubber safety surfacing
- Shade structures
- Fully accessible restrooms
- Child- and adult-sized changing tables
Together, these features create opportunities for active play, sensory exploration, social interaction and imaginative play.
And importantly, inclusive playground design isn't about creating a separate play area for children with disabilities. It's about creating an environment where people with and without disabilities can play together.
More Than Accessible—Truly Inclusive
Accessibility and inclusion are closely connected, but they aren't exactly the same.
An accessible playground helps ensure people can enter, navigate and use the space. An inclusive playground takes that idea further by considering the full experience of play—physical, sensory, social and emotional.
DREAM Playground demonstrates what that can look like in practice.
Children can choose how they want to participate. They can climb, swing, spin, zip, explore sensory elements, take a break in a quiet space or simply enjoy being part of the activity around them.
That variety is what makes inclusive playgrounds meaningful. There isn't one "right" way to play.
Inclusive Playground musical instruments
DWA Recreation Is Proud to Be Part of the Dream
DWA Recreation was proud to contribute to the DREAM Playground project and help bring this community vision to life.
Projects like this remind us why thoughtful recreation design matters. A playground can be more than equipment installed in a park. When it is intentionally designed around the needs of an entire community, it can become a gathering place, a source of connection and a space where everyone feels like they belong. DREAM Playground is now open daily from dawn to dusk at Oak Grove Park in Hudson.
And now that the ribbon has been cut, the fundraising is finished and the planning is complete, there's only one thing left to do: Play.
Looking to Create a More Inclusive Play Space?
Whether you're planning a new playground or looking to make an existing recreation space more accessible and inclusive, DWA Recreation can help you explore equipment, surfacing, shade and design solutions that support a wider range of users.
Cool Climber rope with inclusive accessories
City of Hudson Resources
