Outdoor spaces are an important part of any community, but they aren’t always designed with disabled people in mind. The Ability Center, a local nonprofit dedicated to creating more inclusive recreational opportunities, wants to change that. This year, in partnership with Milwaukee County Parks and the nationally known playground equipment company GameTime, the organization is opening what’s billed as the country’s first fully universal park.
Moss Universal Park, set to begin the first phase of construction this summer and partially open this fall, is an overhaul of the 18-acre Wisconsin Avenue Park in Wauwatosa. The existing playground will be replaced with a fully accessible one, including a 12-foot tower that allows people who use wheelchairs to climb like a jungle gym.
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The playground is designed for people of all physical abilities to play together, whether youngsters who don’t normally get a chance to play with their friends or siblings or parents who can’t normally play with their able-bodied kids. Parents with disabilities also won’t have to worry about their kids’ safety on the playground, because they can access every part of the park. “We always talk about how we want the only reason people leave the park to be because they’re exhausted from playing and having fun together,” says Guy Smith, executive director of Milwaukee County Parks.
Along with specially designed playground equipment, the park will include fully accessible wooded trails, three sports fields, a fitness area, challenge course, bathrooms and clubhouse. The 18 acres will also incorporate several quiet spaces for people with sensory differences. “No one will be limited to where they can go in the park,” says Damian Buchman, founder and CEO of Ability Center.
The park’s location is just as strategic as the grounds. Located a block from the Milwaukee Zoo, the park is also a stone’s throw from the only Level I trauma center in the area, the Ronald McDonald House, St. Camillus retirement community and Froedtert’s new rehabilitation hospital. Buchman envisions families visiting the park together between appointments at Children’s Wisconsin, retired residents coming to play with their grandkids and patients coming outside to work on their rehab exercises.
The park is also situated along major public transit stops, so many visitors won’t have to transfer between multiple buses to access the park. “All of those things take down barriers people may feel they need to overcome to get there,” says Buchman.
If all goes according to plan, the eastern part of the park, including the main playground and three sports fields, will open in fall of 2025. The western section of the park, which includes the wooded area and challenge course, is set to open in 2026. Once people experience all the park has to offer, Smith hopes Moss Universal Park will become a regional destination, as well as an inspiration for more accessible neighborhood parks in the Milwaukee area. “We also see this as a bigger opportunity to change how play and parks are created,” says Buchman. “We want to lead a movement for the entire country.”
