Dwight Murphy Field adding first fully-inclusive playground in Santa Barbara

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Dwight Murphy Field will soon receive an $18 million renovation that’s highlighted by an all-inclusive playground.

It’ll be named Gwendolyn’s Playground after Gwendolyn Strong, who died in 2015 at the age of 7 after succumbing to spinal muscular atrophy. 

Not long after her death, the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation approached the Parks and Recreation Department to explore building the first universally accessible playground in Santa Barbara County.

“This idea came to us when our daughter Gwendolyn was a baby and we learned then that playgrounds are not made for kids in wheelchairs,” Victoria Strong explained. 

The final result is that Dwight Murphy Field will soon be home to an inclusive playground, designed to remove physical barriers and allow children of all abilities to play side-by-side.

Some parents such as Maya Singer, believe that this change is needed.

“What an amazing project for the community,” she said. “For the kids that really could use some other access and more options for play.”

Renderings display a colorful, eye-catching design.

“We’re addressing traffic flow, walking, garden, everything will be entirely re-imagined,” Strong.

The master plan also includes an outdoor fitness area, kids baseball field and regulation-sized soccer field.

City officials hope to break ground on this project in 2023. 

To learn more about the new playground, you can visit the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation website.