Inside Kerala 1st Inclusive Park Where Ramps, Braille Signs & Sensory Play Make Every Child Feel Included

It’s a Sunday evening in Thiruvananthapuram. The sun slips behind the trees as laughter rings across a freshly painted playground.

On one side, a little boy in a wheelchair grips the bars of an adaptive swing. With a small push from his mother, he rises, squealing in delight — his joy matched by the cheers of children running nearby.

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For many families here, this simple moment — children of all abilities playing side by side — feels like something the city had been waiting for.

That’s the promise of Captain Lakshmi Inclusive Park, Kerala’s first public park designed in a way that no one is left out.

Where inclusion is built into the ground

Developed by the Central Institute on Mental Retardation (CIMR) in collaboration with Allianz Services, the park is more than a patch of greenery. It’s a blueprint for what public spaces can look like when empathy leads design.

The pathways are wide and smooth, easy for wheelchairs and prams. Swings, slides, and merry-go-rounds are designed for children with different mobility levels. Bright sensory panels line the play area, and Braille signs help visitors navigate independently.

There’s even a section for sensory play — where textures, colours, and sounds create calm for children with autism or sensory processing needs. Every detail here says the same thing: everyone deserves to play.

How the park invites people to connect

Beyond play, the park opens space for connection.

An amphitheatre tucked into one corner can host small performances and public events for about a hundred people. Close by, a whimsical ‘Pop-up Space’ — shaped like a moving cart — serves as a library and reading nook, fitted with charging points and a drinking water kiosk.

It’s not just a park; it’s a meeting ground for curiosity and companionship, where a family evening out can turn into a storytime circle.

Part of a larger change taking root across India 

Across the country, more cities are beginning to imagine play differently. A 2019 National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) report found that inclusive play spaces are essential for a child’s development and social connection. Yet, it also warned that unimaginative parks often go unused — turning concrete into dead space.

Chennai has begun installing tactile boards and sensory play areas in its public parks. UN-supported projects in Kerala are working to make beaches wheelchair-friendly. Still, such examples remain few, as many city plans skip accessibility at the design stage altogether.

That’s why Thiruvananthapuram’s inclusive park matters — it proves that accessibility isn’t a luxury, it’s good urban sense.

A gentler way to imagine cities

As dusk settles and streetlights flicker on, the park fills with soft chatter, the scent of wet earth, and the rhythm of children’s laughter.

For parents and grandparents who once had to say “no” to their children because the city didn’t have space for them, the park is more than an evening stop — it’s an act of belonging.

And in that shared joy, Thiruvananthapuram offers India a quiet but profound lesson: when cities are built with care, everyone finds a place to play.

Sources:

‘Thiruvananthapuram gets its first inclusive public park for differently abled persons’: by Nirmal Harindran for The Hindu, published on 6 November 2025.

‘N Chennai parks gets inclusive playthings’: by Swedha Ramakrishna for The Times of India, published on 4 November 2025

‘Making parks and beaches accessible for differently-abled persons in India’: by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

‘Inclusive playgrounds help reduce stigma and inhibitions’: by Patients Engage