Melody Day smiles in her wheelchair next to a buddy bench

Whitney Curtis/AP Images for Scholastic Inc.

Anything Is Possible

Melody Day convinced her school to build a playground that all kids can use.

February 15, 2021

By Nicole Tocco

As You Read, Think About: Is there a place in your community that should be more inclusive?

Sixth-grader Melody Day could not hold back her tears of joy. She had just entered the new playground at Heritage Intermediate School in Wentzville, Missouri. Called the Melody Garden, it is the result of two years of Melody’s hard work and determination.

“I am amazed by this,” Melody said on that day last August.

This isn’t just any playground. Melody wanted her school to build a place where all kids can play—including kids like her, who use wheelchairs.

Sixth-grader Melody Day could not hold back her tears of joy. She had just entered the new playground at Heritage Intermediate School in Wentzville, Missouri. The playground is called the Melody Garden. It is the result of two years of Melody’s hard work and determination.

“I am amazed by this,” Melody said on that day last August.

This isn’t just any playground. Melody wanted her school to build a place where all kids can play. That includes kids like her, who use wheelchairs.

Feeling Left Out

Whitney Curtis/AP Images for Scholastic Inc.

Melody came up with her plan in fourth grade. Her school’s playground wasn’t accessible to her, so she couldn’t use any of the equipment. She couldn’t even get into the playground, because her wheelchair got stuck in the gravel that surrounded the equipment.

During recess, Melody’s friends would chat with her for a bit, but then they’d run to the swings or monkey bars. Melody would be left all alone.

“I just watched them go and play,” she says. “I’d think to myself, ‘Why am I just sitting here?’”

Melody decided to look beyond the barriers, and she saw an opportunity. She would help her school build a more inclusive playground, where no one would be left out because of a disability.

“I don’t want kids to feel like outsiders,” Melody says. “I don’t want them to be pushed aside—it’s not right.”

Melody came up with her plan in fourth grade. Her school’s playground wasn’t accessible to her. She couldn’t use any of the equipment. She couldn’t even get into the playground, because her wheelchair got stuck in the gravel that surrounded the equipment.

During recess, Melody’s friends would chat with her for a bit, but then they’d run to the swings or monkey bars. Melody would be left all alone.

“I just watched them go and play,” she says. “I’d think to myself, ‘Why am I just sitting here?’”

Melody decided to look beyond the barriers, and she saw an opportunity. She would help her school build a more inclusive playground. No one would be left out because of a disability.

“I don’t want kids to feel like outsiders,” Melody says. “I don’t want them to be pushed aside—it’s not right.”

What Melody Wants YOU to Know

Whitney Curtis/AP Images for Scholastic Inc.

You don’t have to go with the crowd and be like others. Be yourself—no matter who you are.

Don’t judge people by their disability. Get to know them. You never know what you might have in common.

If you want to make a difference, don’t let your disability stop you. It doesn’t have to define you.

What Melody Wants YOU to Know

Whitney Curtis/AP Images for Scholastic Inc.

You don’t have to go with the crowd and be like others. Be yourself—no matter who you are.

Don’t judge people by their disability. Get to know them. You never know what you might have in common.

If you want to make a difference, don’t let your disability stop you. It doesn’t have to define you.

Challenge Accepted

Melody knows a lot about dealing with challenges. She was born with cerebral palsy (CP), a condition that affects a person’s ability to move. People with CP have a hard time controlling their muscles and keeping their balance.

“I have trouble getting in and out of my wheelchair,” Melody explains, “and lifting things with my right hand is hard.”

But Melody says she didn’t want to improve her school playground only for kids with CP.

“People in wheelchairs aren’t the only ones who have disabilities,” she says.

Melody knows a lot about dealing with challenges. She was born with cerebral palsy (CP). It is a condition that affects a person’s ability to move. People with CP have a hard time controlling their muscles and keeping their balance.

“I have trouble getting in and out of my wheelchair,” Melody explains, “and lifting things with my right hand is hard.”

But Melody says she didn’t want to change things at her school only for kids with CP.

“People in wheelchairs aren’t the only ones who have disabilities,” she says.

Fair Play

Melody presented her idea for a more inclusive playground to the principal, who loved it. But there was a problem—the school didn’t have the money to pay for it.

Melody wasn’t about to let that stop her. She started a GoFundMe page, where people donated money. Inspired by Melody, her classmates donated their allowances and held fund-raisers. An organization called Play 4 All stepped in to help Melody’s dream become a reality.

The Melody Garden was finally completed last summer. It has six big colorful musical instruments. Melody says her favorite is the xylophone. The new play area also has a flat surface that’s easier to navigate in a wheelchair. To some people, it may look like just a few instruments. But to Melody and others, it’s a place that lets them know they belong.

Melody is now helping her school plan a more inclusive playground for younger students. And she won’t stop there.

“Just because I have a wheelchair doesn’t mean I can’t make a difference,” she says.

Melody presented her idea for a more inclusive playground to the principal, who loved it. But there was a problem. The school didn’t have the money to pay for it.

Melody wouldn’t let that stop her. She started a GoFundMe page, where people donated money. Inspired by Melody, her classmates donated their allowances and held fund-raisers. An organization called Play 4 All stepped in to help Melody’s dream become a reality.

Melody is now helping her school plan a more inclusive playground for younger students. And she won’t stop there.

“Just because I have a wheelchair doesn’t mean I can’t make a difference,” she says.

Breaking Barriers

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Years ago, public schools could deny entry to students with disabilities. Most schools weren’t accessible to kids who used wheelchairs or walkers.

“People with disabilities had little to no rights across the U.S.,” says Keri Gray of the American Association of People with Disabilities.

A law called the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) helped change that. The ADA makes it illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities. The law also requires places such as schools and stores to be more accessible. It has led to more ramps on buildings, wheelchair lifts on buses, and many other changes. But despite the law, some public places still are not accessible to all.