Erin Gildner watches as her sons Koen Gildner, 10 (near right), and Hagen Gildner, 11 (far middle), play on the special Wee-Saw with Drew Bisbee, 9 (far left), and Caleb Smith, 7 (near middle).

The desire to be included is something that most children feel. For some, it’s hard to fit in or join activities with their friends. For others, it’s physically impossible to take part in such activities. That’s why Julie and Andy Mayberry started I Can! of Arkansas to help children with disabilities say, “I can, too!”

The newest addition to the I Can! Arts & Resource Center in East End, Arkansas, is The Crossing at Angel Court, a park with an inclusive playground enclosed by a white-picket-fence perimeter. The barn-style play center sits atop poured-in-place rubber surfacing and has ramps that lead to the top, where children can go down the metal roller-hatched slide or wheel onto a platform that rocks back and forth. There is an accessible merry-go-round with seat backs that allows for children who use wheelchairs to transfer from their chairs and sit inside without worry of falling off. To the left of the entrance is a special see-saw called a Wee-Saw that has four seats for children to sit in.

It’s a playground that many central Arkansas kids and their parents have waited a long time for. Laura Henry, 22, visited the playground for the first time at the I Can! of Arkansas Birthday Bash in October of last year.

“The first time I saw the park was at the Birthday Bash. They opened the park and I was crying,” Henry says. “My mom was crying behind me. I was getting ready to [play on the playground] and Julie just grabbed me and hugged me because I was cryin’ so much. Julie said, ‘That’s what I’m here for.’”

Erin Gildner has two children Koen Gildner, 10, and Hagen Gildner, 11, but taking her children to a playground has been difficult for Erin. Why? Because she’s in a wheelchair. Her children can climb and have fun at a conventional playground. But if they hurt themselves or otherwise need their mother, she may not be able to get to them.

“When my boys were really little, I couldn’t just go and push them on a swing,” Gildner says. “I would get stuck, there would be a barrier there and my husband would have to go chase after them. My oldest son, Hagen, is visually impaired, so we’re a dual-disability family. He has a visual impairment and he was so premature that he has some cognitive delays. He was all over the place, every which way. I hit a wall almost, not being able to get up and go get him.”

The Crossing at Angel Court benefits parents, too, including mom of two Erin Gildner, whose wheelchair is able to move freely on the playground’s special surface.

The Crossing at Angel Court is the first park in East End, a census-designated place in the metro area, because they have no parks department and the park was built entirely through the effort of I Can! of Arkansas and volunteers.

“It’s been 10 years in the making,” Julie Mayberry says. “I mean, it really started with having a child in a wheelchair and understanding that you’re limited going out to the playground. And I have other children who I always wanted to bring to the playground but would be frustrated by the accommodations that were made. I finally just said, ‘why don’t I do something about it?’”

Olivia O’Dell, 14, strokes Katie Mayberry’s hair as Mayberry, 14, sits in the modified merry-go-round at the brand-new playground in the East End community.

Now, there is a place for children and parents to feel included. As 7-year-old Caleb Smith races in his walker up the play center ramp to slide down, his nickname, Elvis, becomes obvious. His hips get to moving fast and a huge grin crosses his face. He’s more than welcome.

The Crossing at Angel Court can be found at 1040 Angel Court in the East End community of Little Rock.

The park is free and open to the public. For more information, visit their website or call the I Can! Arts & Resource Center at (501) 888-4140.