MADISON, Wis. — The City of Madison recently unveiled its fourth accessible playground, designed to accommodate kids and adults of all abilities.

What You Need To Know

  • The City of Madison recently unveiled its fourth accessible playground, designed to accommodate kids and adults of all abilities

  • The entire structure at Rennebohm Park is wheelchair-friendly, connected by a ramp. The merry-go-round is built into the ground for easy access if someone is on wheels. There are also sign language and braille communication boards and soft play surfaces

  • The new space is called the Jeff Erlanger Accessible Playground

  • Jeff Erlanger was born with a spinal tumor. A surgery that removed the tumor took away his ability to use his arms and legs. Jeff Erlanger met his idol, Fred Rogers, and appeared on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” in 1981 when he was 10 years old. He talked about his wheelchair and why he needed it

Madison resident Martha Siravo, and her daughter Jasmine, said it represents a step in the right direction. Siravo relies on a wheelchair due to a spinal cord injury, and Jasmine has cerebral palsy.

“What you do in the community spaces I think speaks a lot to how we appreciate the different parts of the community that might not feel included otherwise,” Siravo said. “It’s all about integration, so we’re not just playing in separate spaces. When you bring the kids together, that’s our future, so that really gives them a little bit more of a way to meet people who might not be in the same places.”

The entire structure at Rennebohm Park is wheelchair-friendly, connected by a ramp. The merry-go-round is built into the ground for easy access if someone is on wheels. There are also sign language and braille communication boards and soft play surfaces.

“If we’re not at an accessible park, I can watch her and just kind of be there as a vocal participant instead of up and on everything with her,” Siravo said.

The new space is called the Jeff Erlanger Accessible Playground. Jeff Erlanger is a name that has long signified inclusion, in Madison and beyond.

Jeff Erlanger’s parents, Pam and Howard Erlanger, are proud of that.

“It’s wonderful that people remember Jeff and see him in the spirit that we saw him,” Howard Erlanger said.

Jeff Erlanger was born with a spinal tumor. A surgery that removed the tumor took away his ability to use his arms and legs. Jeff Erlanger met his idol, Fred Rogers, and appeared on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” in 1981 when he was 10 years old. He talked about his wheelchair and why he needed it.

Jeff Erlanger grew up to be active in local politics and disability-rights advocacy. He died at the age of 36. His parents said he’d be honored to see the new accessible park named after him.

“He did a lot of work to improve things in the city for people with disabilities, and he would be very proud and very happy today I think,” Pam Erlanger said.

“He would love it,” Howard Erlanger added. “He’d feel a little bit like, ‘Well okay, not so much about me,’ but yes, he would love it.”

The Erlangers said they remember a time when there were no accessible playgrounds for Jeff Erlanger to enjoy as a kid.

“He had a sister who was a year and a half older, and we’d go to the playground so she could play, and Jeff couldn’t,” Pam Erlanger said.

They said seeing that change in Madison is a powerful way to honor Jeff Erlanger and the message he was known for: “It doesn’t matter what I can’t do. It matters what I can do.”

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