What if you’re in a wheelchair, but love sliding down a slide just as much as any other child?
That was the question 9-year-old Thijn from Eindhoven asked himself back in 2020. And he decided to do something about it. His idea: a wheelchair slide that allows you to go up independently and slide down on your own.
The design received a lot of praise, was featured in national media, and even earned Thijn a youth award. Still, the slide wasn’t built—no one dared to take on the challenge of actually making it. But Thijn didn’t give up. And he wasn’t alone. We were eager to help bring his idea to life! Together with Thijn, his parents, the municipality, and our designers, we made his dream come true.
Thijn won first prize for his design in a competition at the Ontdekfabriek. On the Dutch TV show Matthijs Gaat Door, an early prototype of his slide was even built: a special wheelchair deck at the top of a wide, safe sliding chute. Only the slide itself was constructed—the access system, crucial for independent use, was still missing. Still, it gave Thijn a tangible image of what his idea could look like in real life. The municipality of Eindhoven responded positively; Thijn was allowed to present his plan, received applause and encouraging words. But despite all the support and media attention, little progress was made. Eventually, Thijn received a letter from the municipality with bad news: his idea could not be executed. According to the municipality, the design wasn’t safe enough, too expensive, and at risk of vandalism. The slide didn’t happen. At BOERplay, we don’t see inclusive play as an “extra”—we see it as normal. When Lucas Rijnders, Head of Design & Development at BOERplay, heard about Thijn’s idea, he immediately saw an opportunity. While many manufacturers backed away due to safety concerns, he saw a challenge instead. “I’m not that difficult,” he said. “We can build this.” To dive deeper into inclusive play and the technical aspects of wheelchair slides, Lucas and his team took a course with Suzanne van Ginneken, founder and designer at Speelnatuur. With over 25 years of experience designing play spaces, Suzanne developed, among other things, a wheelchair ramp. Her work—such as the ramp in Zwolle—proved that it can be done: excitement and play value without compromising safety. Lucas gave Thijn’s design his own creative touch—but not without consulting Thijn. Thijn and his parents visited us to review and approve the new version. “Thijn was super enthusiastic about the design,” Lucas shares. To make the slide truly inclusive, Lucas added a “regular” slide too. Although the municipality of Eindhoven was initially unable to build the slide, the need for an inclusive playground remained. When they found out we were going to build the slide, the municipality contacted our representative Sander Maassen. They even allocated a special budget to realise the very first inclusive playground featuring Thijn’s slide. Construction has already started. After the summer holidays, in August, the official opening will take place. That’s when Thijn’s dream—to let all children play—finally comes true. The wheelchair slide doesn’t happen, yet
Inclusive play as a starting point
Thijn’s idea takes shape
Because if only wheelchair users can use it, then it’s not fully inclusive. “My goal was to make the wheelchair part the most fun part of the whole play structure. So fun, that other kids would ask to borrow the wheelchair just to try it. I think we nailed it.”Finally real: Thijn’s slide becomes reality!
The wheelchair slide
