My family recently moved, and last weekend I took my kids to our new local park for a school birthday party. My daughter Iris needs a walker to get around and has tons of energy, but she was so disappointed when she realized she wouldn’t be able to join her siblings on the playground as it was surrounded by sand.

Iris deserves to play just like other children. We’re asking Hernando County Parks and Rec to make our playgrounds and parks accessible to everyone.

While the other kids were running and playing, 5-year-old Iris and her walker were stuck in the sand. It is heartbreaking to watch your child unable to play independently with everyone else just because a playground wasn’t built for people with disabilities in mind. Iris hates the fact that I have to carry her around and move her from one activity to the next – and to be honest other children don’t want to play with someone’s mom standing over them.

Since starting this petition we’ve received coverage in top tier news outlets, and started conversations with the Parks and Rec office about making small changes to the park we visited. But in order to make a real difference, we need to show them that thousands of people believe kids across our county deserve better.

Join us in asking Hernando County for playgrounds where every child can play.