The ADA Accessible Single Swing platform is a single platform swing designed for those who use wheelchairs. It is designed for children or adults, and has a weight capacity up to 700 lbs and comes either portable, or can be permanently mounted. It supposedly has easy access to get on and off the swing, however I do see a lot of potential problems with this design. This swing set satisfies the need and want for play, which is important for every single human to experience but there are a few safety concerns I see with this design. First biggest one is that the swing set looks like there needs to be another person to help push to get them actually swinging, it does not look like the person in all cases can push themselves to swing. Depending on how high the swing can swing, a person sitting in a wheelchair could potentially fall forward and over their chair. I think there could also be an issue depending on how fast the swing is swinging, on holding onto the swing set chains, some people may not be able to do that, and I’m not entirely sure if that is a needed component of this design or not that helps with user stability. There is also the weight limit issue of the swing set only being able to carry 700lbs, it excludes people who weigh more than that. Another issue I see with this swing set, is depending on a person’s wheelchair, the platform it sits on doesn’t appear to have any locking in components, so the wheelchair could potentially move around simultaneously as the swing is swinging. There is also a potential issue with the length and width of the swing platform that might not be able to accommodate all wheelchair sizes. A final issue I see with this design is there is a front closing component that could be hard to pull up to secure the wheelchair.
I believe this swing set satisfies the needs for some, but it is not a completely sound design that everyone could use by themselves. This design attempts to make playing on the playground more accessible to those who use wheelchairs, and focuses on the inclusivity aspect of design that allows the user to incorporate their own adaptive equipment. As far as resources go, it’s made from aluminum, plastic, and steel which I would say is pretty normal as far as swing sets go, however there is a mount if you wanted to mount it that is not included with the swing so if there was a safety concern about the swing potentially being wobbly, then an additional purchase would have to be made. The swing also comes in a bunch of colors which is fun and cool, and retails to about $2,000 which I would say is also a little steep as the average swing set goes from $200-$1,600 roughly. I wouldn’t know how to make this equipment out of sustainable resources, nor do I know if that is safe to do so. As far as better designs in regards to this swing set, I would definitely change multiple aspects of this design. I would add either a button or a rope that allows the user to easily pull up and take down the front gate part of the swing that is at resting hand level. I would also potentially add something that would secure the back of the chair, to the back of the swingset, so there would be less risk of the chair rolling around while the swing is in motion. Also implementing a swinging button or invention that could get a person swinging without the need of a push. Perhaps additionally make it accessible for higher weight holding capacities, as well as larger platform to allow a greater length and width to be able to get on the platform.
This link here seems like a much more thought out and safer design
