The Sunshine Coast Council, in partnership with First 5 Forever and Sunshine Sign and Sing, has significantly enhanced accessibility and literacy within local parks, including the Mapleton Lilyponds Park and the Russel Family Park. These initiatives, featuring innovative Communication Boards and Story Seats, aim to create inclusive and engaging environments for families with young children.
Communication Boards: Breaking Down Barriers
Mapleton Lilyponds Park is now home to one of ten newly installed Communication Boards across the Sunshine Coast region. These boards serve as vital Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) tools, designed to assist children with communication barriers. Utilizing Key Word Sign (KWS), which borrows signs from Auslan, these boards feature pictures and corresponding signs to help children express their needs, wants, and questions.
A Sunshine Coast Council spokesman emphasised, “Improving accessibility and inclusivity for our community is a high priority for Council and we have installed communication boards at ten parks across the region.” They further explained, “To create the First 5 Forever communication boards we partnered with local business Sunshine Sign and Sing. The communication boards display symbols, pictures or photos that non-verbal children and young people can point to, to help them communicate with those around them.”
The boards are designed with dual functionality, offering picture boards for pointing and KWS boards for learning signs. KWS involves using signs and speech simultaneously, incorporating body language, natural gestures, and facial expressions. This approach enhances comprehension, reduces frustration, and promotes language skill development.
The Council spokesman noted the positive feedback received, stating, “We’ve received positive feedback from families and also speech pathologists who have been using the boards to communicate with their young clients. Each board is specific to the park it is in, featuring things found in the nearby area.” Each park contains three boards with basic keyword signs and symbols from Key Word Sign (KWS). KWS adds signs to common spoken words. While KWS is not a sign language, it borrows some signs from Auslan.
The boards are funded through First 5 Forever, a Queensland Government initiative coordinated by State Library of Queensland, and are tailored to each park’s environment. QR codes are also included, linking to video tutorials that demonstrate the signs, aiding parents and carers in learning and using KWS. “The communication boards were a natural extension and expand on our accessibility friendly parks.” the council spokesman said. “There are currently no plans to install further communication boards this year.”
Story Seats: Fostering Literacy Through Play
In addition to the Communication Boards, the Sunshine Coast Council, in 2018, introduced Story Seats, with one of these unique installations, “Fun in the Park,” located in the Russel Family Park. These purpose-built seats, featuring vibrant illustrations by local author and illustrator Peter Carnavas, aim to provide outdoor literacy experiences for families.
The Story Seats are designed to encourage interaction between parents/caregivers and young children (0-5 years), promoting talking, reading, singing, and playing. Activities include engaging in conversations about the illustrations, using the graphics to practice counting and storytelling, singing nursery rhymes, and creating games based on the images.
Peter Carnavas, known for his award-winning children’s books, created the “Fun in the Park” illustrations, adding a touch of local artistry to the project. The Council spokesman stated, “Council designed and constructed 10 innovative Story Seats, located in 10 local parks, that incorporate 10 fabulous illustrations into the seats’ designs. These eye-catching pieces of art were purpose-built to provide outdoor literacy experiences for families and offer spaces that actively encourage you to talk, read, sing and play with your child every day.”
First 5 Forever and Sunshine Sign and Sing: Building Strong Foundations
Both these initiatives are supported by First 5 Forever, a Queensland State Government program that emphasizes the importance of early literacy. Sunshine Sign and Sing further enhances these efforts by promoting Key Word Sign, making communication more accessible for all children.
First 5 Forever is a play-based early literacy program supporting Queensland families to talk, read, sing and play with their babies and young children in the first five years.
Through these combined efforts, the Sunshine Coast Council is creating inclusive and enriching environments within local parks, fostering communication and literacy development for young children and their families.