Construction is starting on Winston-Salem's first park designed specifically for people with disabilities. The Nelson L. Malloy Jr. Park is named after a former city official who is paralyzed from the waist down.
The four-acre park, located at 2615 Bethabara Road, will have a fully accessible playground and splash pad. It's compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and includes a soft-surface walking trail, as well as a dog park for disabled veterans and their service dogs.
William Royston is director of the Winston-Salem Recreation and Parks Department. He says lots of research went into the design.
“We have a therapeutic recreation division, and we worked with several of our staff members to kind of get an idea what challenges we needed to overcome in developing a facility like this," says Royston. "And through a lot of research and using what the industry defines as Universal Design principles we were able to come up with a cohesive park design that's really tailored for all persons.”
Nelson L. Malloy Jr. Park comes at a cost of $1 million and is part of a bond referendum that was voted on in 2014.