WEEKEND EDITION
INSIDE SCOOP
COMMENTARY
CORSAIRS RETURN HOME PAGE 3 ELECTION IS ALL ABOUT RACE PAGE 4
OCTOBER 18-19, 2008
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Volume 7 Issue 290
Santa Monica Daily Press
ELUDING CANCER? SEE PAGE 7
Since 2001: A news odyssey
Special ed reforms still inching on
THE ACCESS FOR ALL ISSUE
Commission preaches accessible playgrounds
BY MELODY HANATANI Daily Press Staff Writer
CITY HALL Following years of emotional testimonies and pleas for change, there were some words of encouragement for the direction of special education in the school district, hinting that the healing process is well underway. Those feelings were expressed to the Board of Education on Thursday during a presentation updating the recently-launched Special Education Collaborative, a joint effort between district officials and parents to strengthen the troubled program. The collaborative consists of two different parts — a sponsor group made up of key district officials that will serve as advisors, and a working group that will be equally comprised of special and general education parents and school staff. The lat-
BY MELODY HANATANI Daily Press Staff Writer
DOWNTOWN For children who live with mobility or sensory problems, an afternoon at the playground can be more challenging than fun. The Disabilities Commission is on a mission to address the lack of universally accessible playgrounds in the city, hoping to institute design changes in existing facilities that would allow integration of both disabled and able children. There are currently no universally-accessible playgrounds in Santa Monica, which go beyond the basic standards required under the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to Christopher Knauf, the chairman of the commission. Los Angeles is home to about 18 such playgrounds with one of the closer ones being Aidan’s Place in Westwood Park. Knauf presented the concept to the Recreation and Parks Commission on Thursday, talking about the key aspects that define universally-accessible playgrounds and showcasing some of the more wellknown facilities that have been developed across the county, including Shane’s Inspiration, which was created in honor of Shane Alexander, who died of spinal muscular atrophy in 1997. The playground was built in Griffith Park. The commission’s initiative is to create a public space where all kids can come together and just be children. “This is an initiative to move our city kind of along the evolutionary scale of playgrounds and concepts of universal design,” Knauf said. Current ADA law requires that only 30 percent of the playground’s elements be accessible. One of the main obstacles presented by traditional playgrounds is that they’re based on sand, which presents mobility challenges for those in wheelchairs. When the law was written, playgrounds were one of the last places considered, according to T.J. Hill, the vice chair of the
SEE REFORMS PAGE 14
Sierra Club backs three candidates BY DAILY PRESS STAFF DOWNTOWN The Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club, one of the nation’s oldest and most respected environmental organizations, endorsed Councilmember Ken Genser, Recreation and Parks Commissioner Ted Winterer, and former Airport Commissioner Susan Hartley for City Council in the Nov. 4 election. “Ted Winterer and Susan Hartley are both community activists who are running for the first time and we believe that they will do an excellent job on the important environmental issues that will come before the City Council,” said Kathy Knight, endorsement team leader for the club. “Ken Genser is an incumbent who has Brandon Wise brandonw@smdp.com
SEE ENDORSEMENTS PAGE 15
FUN TIME: Kids play inside the tower at Clover Park on Ocean Park Boulevard on Thursday.
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