Town of Danville Opens All-Abilities Sensory Music Garden and Inclusive Playground Expansion at Oak Hill Park

Recreation supervisors with the Town of Danville Recreation, Arts and Community Services Department and accessibility advocates from the Contra Costa Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) inaugurated an All-Abilities Sensory Music Garden and Inclusive Play Expansion on Saturday evening at Oak Hill Park at 3005 Stone Valley Road in Danville. Situated beside the Monte Vista High School athletic corridor and the Oak Hill Park Community Center lagoon, the shaded 6,800-square-foot play zone was designed so children using wheelchairs, walkers, or sensory-processing supports can play side-by-side with peers and siblings.

Across the entire play footprint, crews replaced wood-fiber mulch—which previously impeded wheelchair casters—with dual-density, slip-resistant poured-in-place EPDM rubber surfacing contoured into gentle zero-threshold ramps. At the center of the play deck, a flush-mounted We-Go-Swing allows a child or parent seated in a wheelchair to roll directly aboard without transferring out of their mobility device, rocking in tandem with three bench riders.

Beneath a grove of mature coast live oaks on the eastern edge of the playground, an acoustic sensory garden features pentatonic anodized-aluminum marimbas, resonant bass metallophones, tactile Braille-and-relief nature panels, and two semi-enclosed quiet decompression pods for neurodivergent children experiencing auditory overload. Shaded companion picnic tables, caregiver benches, and a chilled bottle-filling station complete the inclusive family plaza.

The $420,000 playground modernization program was funded by the Danville Town Council through the Capital Improvement Program and a California State Parks Per Capita grant. Local families can check inclusive recreation programs and park pavilion rental options on the Town of Danville Parks and Facilities Portal.