Julia's Junction - Inclusive Play Space

About Julia's Junction - Inclusive Play Space

Located at Westbank Centre Park (2569 May Street), Julia’s Junction is West Kelowna’s first accessible and inclusive play space, providing a place for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy.

Julia’s Junction was the realized dream of the Grassmick family, creating a first-of-its-kind play space in West Kelowna. Inspired by Julia Grassmick, who suffered a spinal cord injury as a toddler, the Grassmick family was the driving force behind the project, initiating it in January 2022 and partnering with the City of West Kelowna. The completion of the project was made possible through the generous support of the Government of Canada, PURKIDS Charitable Foundation, along with many other donors and sponsors.

Some features of the park include:

A universal sensory-rich design to provide ways to swing, slide, spin, experience music and more.
Play structures and equipment are installed at ground level to avoid using ramps so that everyone has access and can play together.
This playground is fully fenced with self-closing gates.
There are two seasonal washrooms on-site with an accessible stall and bench in each one. Portable washrooms are available when these toilets are closed for the season.
The park features unitary surfacing (combination of poured-in-place rubber, synthetic turf and concrete) to ensure easy access for all users.
Parking on-site, there are two accessible stalls directly in front of the entrance to Julia's Junction, with a paved pathway directly to the front entrance gate.

Julia's Junction is next to the Kids Care Spray/Water Park, also located at Westbank Centre Park, so users can double the fun.

About the playground

Designed to accommodate all abilities and disabilities, whether physical, social, emotional, or cognitive, Julia’s Junction is a safe and fun space to make friends, increase self confidence, and build physical strength; everyone in our community deserves to experience that!

Julia's Junction's universal, sensory-rich design delivers the following recreational experiences:

Spinning, Swinging, Sliding
Multi-Sensory Play
Tactile Engagement
Music Experience
Social/Imaginative (Role Playing)
Safety, Comfort & Access
Unitary surfacing (combination of poured-in-place rubber, synthetic turf and concrete) to ensure easy access for all users

By avoiding ramps, everyone can access them and play together. There are options for staying in your wheelchair, transferring out if you choose, having a quiet break to yourself when you need it, finding an interesting tactile experience, and swinging to your heart's content.

Background

This project was inspired by Julia Grassmick, who was paralyzed by a blood clot when she was just 17 months old. Since her injury, her family has focused on Julia's recovery, promoting as much movement and function as possible.

Julia is a vibrant, smart, active and social girl who uses a manual wheelchair to get around. Like all kids her age, Julia loves to get outside to play with her friends. Unfortunately, due to the lack of inclusive play spaces in our community of West Kelowna, Julia struggled both physically and emotionally in an inaccessible environment. Over time, her family simply avoided going to playgrounds altogether.

Julia participates in multiple physical therapy sessions every week and works extremely hard in all aspects of her young life. While the future is unknown, her activity-based therapies only help to heal and re-train her spinal cord. These therapies also help keep Julia’s body strong and in good shape, and ready for a cure someday (which will hopefully be available at some point during her lifetime). She is independent and self-motivated to learn how to walk again; however, with that drive for independence comes frustration.

Julia, her friends, and everyone else living with some form of disability deserve a place to play and that is why Julia's Junction’s was built!

Accessible Whirl

This ground level group spinner is easily accessed by people who use mobility devices. Everyone can spin together, promoting maximum inclusivity and cooperative play.

Balance Trax

Designed for children to improve their balance skills, uneven platforms provide a challenge for kids with special needs. The Balance Trax features sturdy handrails for safe risk-taking.

Playhouse

This kid-sized quiet playhouse is full of tactile and imaginative play elements to help in the self-regulation and cooperative play processes. It provides a place where a child can retreat and relax, or role play with their friends.

Cozy Cocoon

Fun for all children, but especially designed for those with autism spectrum disorders, this enclosed space is meant for a child to escape the playground when overstimulated. It has interior textures and molded-in features for tactile exploration, windows on both sides for adult visibility, and helpful grips for ease of maneuvering in and out.

AeroGlider

Accessible to all with a wide turning radius and a swinging experience for wheelchair users, the AeroGlider encourages cooperation and teamwork. A unique stepping platform on both ends provides an opportunity for more kids to play and back high rails allow adults to help glide and get in on the fun.

NEOS 360

This fun piece features eight games (one player and multi-player) and one freestanding user control panel with player instructions on the back. All ages and abilities, standing or seated, can enjoy 360 degrees of head-spinning, body-twisting, heart-pounding, competitive fun. Its circular design builds peripheral vision, and auditory and spatial awareness skills.

Partners, Donors and Sponsors

Julia's Junction's project partners:

PURKIDS
Pacific Sport Okanagan
Play Envy

For other donors and sponsors, check out the on-site donor wall.

Contact Information

If you would like to connect with Melissa Grassmick, Julia's mother, please email juliasjunctionplayspace@gmail.com or connect on Facebook or Instagram.