The Role of Inclusive Design in Playgrounds

The Role of Inclusive Design in Playgrounds
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The Role of Inclusive Design in Playgrounds
Introduction
Playgrounds and games are essential for a child's development in both the mental and physical areas. Children can learn and pick up several things when playing, including social skills, an acute sense of thought, symbolic learning, language abilities, motor skills, and more. This is why having a playground in schools and other buildings is essential. Nonetheless, everyone should be able to access the playground, regardless of their disability (physical or mental). Due to this, there is a greater need for inclusive playgrounds with inclusive play designs that make it simple for children and their disabled parents to enter the space. The study looks at how children with and without disabilities interact with inclusive playgrounds and the overall role of inclusive playgrounds in societies today.[Moore, Alice, Bryan Boyle, and Helen Lynch. "Designing for inclusion in public playgrounds: a scoping review of definitions, and utilization of universal design." Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology (2022): 1–13.]
When creating a playground, an inclusive environment considers the needs of each child and parent. It needs to make accessibility simple and reassuring for kids with all different demands and developmental stages. There is a wide variety of objects made expressly for inclusive play environments. To make the playground more exciting and cognitively reliable, a variety of structures and components can be included.
What is Accessibility?
All playgrounds must comply with ADA regulations regarding accessibility. It typically implies that playgrounds need walkways, safety surfacing, and other useful features to increase the space's physical accessibility for people with disabilities. Most actions are taken to make the playground and parking lot wheelchair accessible. Accessible playgrounds that are inclusive go beyond allowing access to persons with physical limitations. Inclusive playgrounds are friendly and exciting places for kids and adults of all abilities. Children with intellectual disabilities or visual impairments, for instance, could discover that even an accessible playground was made largely with children who can hear or are generally growing in mind.[Stanton-Chapman, Tina L., and Eric L. Schmidt. "Building playgrounds for children of all abilities: Legal requirements and professional recommendations." Early Childhood Education Journal 47, no. 5 (2019): 509-517.]
Although it falls short of inclusivity, accessibility is a crucial first step, particularly for those with alternative forms of transportation. SomeUnfortunately, some accessible playground designs may continue to exclude some users or fail to provide them with the same level of enjoyment and engagement as they do for other users. For this reason, inclusion is a more comprehensive goal for playground design than accessibility. We have the chance to design truly inclusive playgrounds by going beyond accessibility. Everyone should not feel that the playground is incompatible with their talents and interests because inclusive playgrounds are created with all users in mind.
What is Inclusive Design?
The practice of building an environment to accommodate as many people as possible is known as inclusive design. It enables everyone to use services or participate in activities regardless of age, ability, or status. Children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being are all regarded as requiring play. The necessity of creating accessible playgrounds for all kids has lately come to light. Playgrounds accessible to everybody could occasionally be referred to as inclusive playgrounds. However, having an accessible playground does not imply that the area has been planned to be inclusive. Inclusive playgrounds go beyond basic accessibility requirements and uphold the "social aspects of play" by encouraging friendships, turn-taking, self-assurance, empathy, and moral principles. In play areas, disabled children are eager to play and interact with others. However, the lack of inclusive playgrounds makes it difficult for children to play outside.[Wenger, Ines, M. Prellwitz, U. Lundström, H. Lynch, and C. Schulze. "Designing inclusive playgrounds in Switzerland: why is it so complex?." Children's Geographies (2022): 1-15.] [Brischetto, Alessia, Francesca Tosi, and Alessandra Rinaldi. "Playgrounds for all: practical strategies and guidelines for designing inclusive play areas for children." In International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics, pp. 105-115. Springer, Cham, 2018.]
Keep in mind that inclusive playgrounds should offer more than just physical accessibility. Since children five and older are more likely to experience cognitive issues than physical ones, a more significant focus on inclusion is crucial for kids. In addition, the frequency of cognitive or developmental abnormalities is further illuminated by schooling data because 14% of pupils in public schools get special education assistance.
Role of Inclusive Design in Playgrounds
1. Affords Safe Social Spaces
The encouragement of social play in playgrounds is one of their advantages. Any play in which two or more kids interact with one another is considered social play. Children learn social skills that serve them far into adulthood by engaging in cooperative play. Children can acquire a variety of skills through social play, such as how to: communicate their ideas; include and listen to others; resolve problems; take turns and share, and recognize the needs and emotions of others.[McIntosh, Jacqueline, Bruno Marques, Jon Cornwall, Chelsea Kershaw, and Rosemary Mwipiko. "Therapeutic environments and the role of physiological factors in creating inclusive psychological and socio-cultural landscapes." Ageing International 47, no. 3 (2022): 433-446.]
When they are inclusive, playgrounds are great places for social play. Children can gather in an environment where they feel at ease, thanks to inclusive playgrounds. Group play is intended for several common playground accessories, such as merry-go-rounds and seesaws. The social aspect of spinning or bouncing makes them more enjoyable in addition to the excitement they already provide. Playground designers can install equipment for cooperative play and place equipment for kids of various abilities close to one another to encourage increased social contact amongst kids of all abilities.
It is crucial to remember that every child's social skill and development differ. Therefore, we must consider kids whose social play can be challenging, such as those with autism spectrum disorders, to make playgrounds inclusive. An inclusive playground should have equipment for cooperative play and individual play for these kids. Some parents may take their kids to the playground to get to know and interact with other kids since playgrounds are conducive to social play. Parents and other caregivers can promote this kind of play as much as possible because they know how much their kids can interact with their peers. A child can improve their social skills by doing something as easy as standing in line to ride the slide.[McIntosh, Jacqueline, Bruno Marques, Jon Cornwall, Chelsea Kershaw, and Rosemary Mwipiko. "Therapeutic environments and the role of physiological factors in creating inclusive psychological and socio-cultural landscapes." ]
2. Enhances Interactive Family Time
Social relationships with relatives are just as significant as social interactions with friends. Inclusive playgrounds can unite families by offering a setting that encourages interaction and plays for children of all ages. This involvement is significant since a person's family is one of the most significant relationships in their life. Close ties between parents, siblings, and other relatives are especially advantageous for kids. Modern families frequently believed they did not spend enough time together before the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the various difficulties the pandemic has caused, it has also increased family time. According to Harvard University research, 68% of fathers reported feeling more connected to their children after spending meaningful time with them during a lockdown. Family time during lockdown also helped teens with mental illness feel better mentally. These findings demonstrate that, in many cases, families might come out of the pandemic with closer ties.[Lynch, Helen, Alice Moore, Claire Edwards, and Linda Horgan. "Advancing play participation for all: The challenge of addressing play diversity and inclusion in community parks and playgrounds." British Journal of Occupational Therapy 83, no. 2 (2020): 107-117.] [James, Maeghan E., Emma Jianopoulos, Timothy Ross, Ron Buliung, and Kelly P. Arbour-Nicitopoulos. "Children’s Usage of Inclusive Playgrounds: A Naturalistic Observation Study of Play." International journal of environmental research and public health 19, no. 20 (2022): 13648.]
Because of work and school schedule interruptions, most families could spend more time at home together. However, if parents needed to schedule a quality time to spend with their kids, it would be simple for them to spend their time together focusing on homework and household duties. Families can benefit from going to the playground since it can help them put their phones and other distractions away and be present with one another. Children and parents can benefit from exercise and fresh air while maintaining social distancing. The playground can e...