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Apple Donates $250K to Sponsor 'Innovation Zone' in Accessibility-Focused Playground Coming to Sunnyvale
The Magical Bridge Foundation, which helps build playgrounds for children and adults with disabilities and special needs, this week announced that Apple will help fund the foundation's latest playground, located in Sunnyvale, California's Fair Oaks Park. Magical Bridge Foundation's playgrounds are located in select communities in the Bay Area, including Mountain View, Morgan Hill, Palo Alto, and Redwood City.
Apple's contribution to the playground will come in the form of a $250,000 donation and mark the company as a sponsor of an "Innovation Zone" section of the park. Magical Bridge Foundation describes this area as "a dynamic space within the Sunnyvale playground for people of all ages and abilities to meet, learn, explore, create and build new and diverse relationships."
Clockwise from top left: The Innovation Zone, Kindness Corner, Playhouse + Playstage, and Tot Zone
Apple's sponsored Innovation Zone is said to lie "at the heart" of the new playground's leading edge concepts.
Apple has long been a proponent of accessibility within its software and through the selling of hardware accessories in its online and retail stores. The company has annually celebrated events like Autism Acceptance Month and Accessibility Awareness Day, and in 2015 was honored as a recipient of a Helen Keller Achievement Award from the American Foundation for the Blind for the company's accessibility efforts, particularly VoiceOver's ability to give vision-impaired users access to iOS devices.
Apple's contribution to the playground will come in the form of a $250,000 donation and mark the company as a sponsor of an "Innovation Zone" section of the park. Magical Bridge Foundation describes this area as "a dynamic space within the Sunnyvale playground for people of all ages and abilities to meet, learn, explore, create and build new and diverse relationships."
Apple's sponsored Innovation Zone is said to lie "at the heart" of the new playground's leading edge concepts.
Capturing the innovative spirit of Silicon Valley, the Innovation Zone provides unique and interactive play experiences utilizing technology, art and design that stimulates the full array of human senses in an entirely new way.Magical Bridge Foundation is still collecting contributions for the playground, and if it raises its goal of $3.3 million it will begin construction on the Sunnyvale location in fall 2018, with a public opening aimed for 2020. Other tech companies have also announced sponsored areas in the playground, including LinkedIn's $150,000 sponsorship of the "Kindness Corner." Other play zones, like a Tot Zone, Spin Zone, and Playhouse + Playstage, are still available for sponsorship.
“The dream to build magical spaces where people of all abilities can feel freedom of play has become a reality because companies like Apple and our other partners are so committed to this community, its residents and visitors,” Magical Bridge co-founder Olenka Villarreal said. “The joy is contagious. Magical Bridge Playgrounds are changing neighborhoods, cities, and soon, the country through truly inclusive play.”
Apple has long been a proponent of accessibility within its software and through the selling of hardware accessories in its online and retail stores. The company has annually celebrated events like Autism Acceptance Month and Accessibility Awareness Day, and in 2015 was honored as a recipient of a Helen Keller Achievement Award from the American Foundation for the Blind for the company's accessibility efforts, particularly VoiceOver's ability to give vision-impaired users access to iOS devices.
Tag: accessibility
[ 34 comments ]
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7 months ago
So much criticism. Some kids were helped and their lives are better. That's a good thing.
Yes, and there are kids even worse off than that, like homeless kids. And there are kids even worse of than that, like malnourished kids. That's the fallacy of relative privation.
There are probably hundreds of millions of people in the world that are worse off than people I've personally helped. It doesn't mean I shouldn't have helped the people that I did.
Meanwhile there are illiterate children in Oakland.
Yes, and there are kids even worse off than that, like homeless kids. And there are kids even worse of than that, like malnourished kids. That's the fallacy of relative privation.
There are probably hundreds of millions of people in the world that are worse off than people I've personally helped. It doesn't mean I shouldn't have helped the people that I did.
7 months ago
250k too little for apple ;)
What would be enough for you? How about $0?[doublepost=1520357460][/doublepost]
Apple executives look making a minor donation to look good, and the tax lawyers add this item to the long list of Corporate Tax Deductions that they already claim.
Considering the large number of apple employees that live in the area, there are likely to be some that have family members with special needs. So the reality is that this will be to the benefit of some apple employees.
This is really about helping out Apple.
7 months ago
Investing $250k in Sunnyvale?
Can't wait to see Julian and Ricky turn this into a smashing success!
Can't wait to see Julian and Ricky turn this into a smashing success!
7 months ago
Playgrounds for people with disabilities are prefectly ok, this looks pretty dang cool (minus some of the obnoxious politically correct language). My only question is, 3.3 million dollars - is it gold plated?
The issue is that much of the accessible playground equipment is either custom or not made at large enough volumes to bring down the cost. We took our son to one in Myrtle Beach and the accessible zip line (AWESOME!) cost almost $300,000.
7 months ago
Investing $250k in Sunnyvale?
Can't wait to see Julian and Ricky turn this into a smashing success!
Sunnyvale’s finest!! I’m sure they’ll use their book learnings smarts on investimentals wisely and not mess this up, Ricky.
7 months ago
I saw Facebook live from this playground, where a Ukrainian journalist was toured by a woman behind the initiative. Truly inspiring what they already have achieved, and what they're going to do. Great mind and strong woman, they stated from zero pitching Magical Bridge, going from company to company in the area to build something for public use. That must have been truly a long a winding road from that to Apple donations. I hate to read patronising an judgemental comments here about the donation sum, location or choices.
I've volunteered this summer in the community initiative to build an atypical playground elements in Odessa, Ukraine. I can say building anything like that is very costly and almost close to impossible (I'm sure in any country). We got used to be in IT, where innovation and creativity is habitual, it's hardly seen in playground equipment production. Very few companies are open and choose to do this.
I've volunteered this summer in the community initiative to build an atypical playground elements in Odessa, Ukraine. I can say building anything like that is very costly and almost close to impossible (I'm sure in any country). We got used to be in IT, where innovation and creativity is habitual, it's hardly seen in playground equipment production. Very few companies are open and choose to do this.
7 months ago
I saw Facebook live from this playground, where a Ukrainian journalist was toured by a woman behind the initiative. Truly inspiring what they already have achieved, and what they're going to do. Great mind and strong woman, they stated from zero pitching Magical Bridge, going from company to company in the area to build something for public use. That must have been truly a long a winding road from that to Apple donations. I hate to read patronising an judgemental comments here about the donation sum, location or choices.
I've volunteered this summer in the community initiative to build an atypical playground elements in Odessa, Ukraine. I can say building anything like that is very costly and almost close to impossible (I'm sure in any country). We got used to be in IT, where innovation and creativity is habitual, it's hardly seen in playground equipment production. Very few companies are open and choose to do this.
Thank you for your kind comments and for the truly magical volunteer work in Ukraine. Please email us to chat further: olenka@magicalbridge.org
7 months ago
And Sunnyvale has a huge concentration of rental apartments. Should children of renters who will never be able to afford a home in Sunnyvale be deprived?
"where homes are now selling for over $2,000 per square foot."
And those are extreme upper end numbers. Hardly the average. Why exaggerate like that's typical?
"Why not send your money to the inner cities that need playgrounds ... and a lot more."
Where have you been sending your money to help out?
I sent $0.14 to San Francisco to clean up their mess.
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