A playground in Kansas City is now more inclusive after cutting the ribbon on a new feature that was a personal gift from Randi Mahomes, mother of Chiefs quarterback and Whitehouse native Patrick Mahomes.
Variety Children’s Charity of Greater Kansas City, known as Variety KC, on Monday had a ceremony to launch its first “sign language board” at the Variety KC Hospital Hill playground in front of Children’s Mercy Hospital. The nonprofit Variety KC helps kids with disabilities receive the adaptive equipment and opportunities needed for inclusion.
Randi Mahomes, Kansas City Councilwoman Heather Hall and a group of children attended the ceremony. The sign language board was installed along with communication boards that display signs and symbols representing ideas and actions to help with communication between children and parents or caregivers, children and other children and between people who speak different languages, according to Variety KC. The sign language board shows how to visually communicate the alphabet in sign language.
“We knew that with our Communication Boards, by pointing or even simply gazing at the various symbols and pictures on the board, even young kids or children with limited expressive language ability can clearly express their needs and wants,” Variety KC Executive Director Deborah Wiebrecht said.
“What we’ve discovered with the Sign Language Boards is that children like the challenge and learning opportunity and engage with them even more actively. The first thing most users do is simply spell out their name. This, at its very core, is a bridge to inclusion — finding commonalities and ways to play together.”
Mahomes, who in September won the International Variety Presidential Citation Award, said she was happy for the little things she could do to make a difference. “I’m excited to be here — and honored. I love Kansas City just as much as I love Texas,” Mahomes said. “I just want to hug every child here.”
Sign language boards will be installed in 19 additional Kansas City, Missouri, playgrounds as part of efforts to make all playgrounds inclusive for every child, according to Variety KC.
